There aren't very many "A people" to go around, most people who think they are hiring A people are hiring B or C people.

Most of the useful work on the planet is done by B or below people.

I see this comment all the time on HN. This is the reality of the corporate hiring world versus the Valley:

  1) You are hiring for boring but important projects
  2) There is a limited pool of local talent
  3) The org will have banded salary caps
  4) Differentiating A talent from B players is not a solved problem

It feels great to say, "Just hire A graders! Problem solved yo!" The corporate world does not work like this.

I'm not clear on the definition of an A person versus B person. But if I apply my assumptions, experiences and observations to this situation, I would argue that you'll have to hire B-people because A-people have too much pride and ego to do B-work; a.k.a. whatever work they deem is below them. If Google was really filled with only Ph.D. holding A-people with engineering degrees and published books under their belts, no work would ever actually get done ;)

Of course everybody would like their team to be all "A" level players. But unless you work at an elite startup with a tiny team and buckets of cash - you have to learn how to build a team from players of all levels. An all "A" team is not realistic for most companies, and even if you did assemble one they won't all stay forever. If you have a good process and thoughtful management then you can get great results from "B" level players. I see that as a great challenge as a manager - to get the most out of the whole team.

Sure, you can sit and watch your funding and market opportunity slip away as you wait and wait and wait to land just exactly the right set of "A people."

Or you can get the best people in the door on a reasonable timescale and salary, and start building and learning.

I wonder if "B people" are really unteachable, and if not, I wonder if software companies are missing out on a huge opportunity to hire B people and turn them into A people.

In fact, that is exactly what happens in most startups due to the lack of experience on the part of the founders.

Mature companies have already made those mistakes. Startups in the early growth phase are often some of the worst places to work until they figure out how to operate at scale.

You would be surprised how many young companies fall straight into old school corporate habits as soon as they grow past 20 employees.