The interview was going well. The candidate had impressive credentials: Stanford graduate, five years at a top tech company, glowing references.
Then I asked the question that changed everything.
"Can you tell me about a time you had to build something with incomplete requirements?"
What followed was a 45-minute rant about how terrible product managers were, how unreasonable stakeholders were, and how he always needed more clarity before he could start coding.
We didn't hire him.
Three months later, the founder who did hire him told me the same thing I predicted: "He keeps asking for more specs. We're three months behind."
That experience taught me everything about hiring your first developer. This guide shares what I've learned from hiring—and watching others hire—dozens of technical hires.
The Hiring Mistake That Cost $2 Million
Let me tell you about a startup that almost died because of a bad hire.
They'd raised $2 million and needed to build their product fast. They found a "senior developer" from a prestigious company who interviewed brilliantly. Great 学历 (education), impressive portfolio, confident demeanor.
Six months later, nothing was shipped. The codebase was a mess. And the developer had somehow convinced them he needed two more developers to help him.
The real problem? They'd never defined what success looked like. They'd never checked if he could work with ambiguity. And they never asked about his actual experience with startups.
They eventually let him go, spent $500,000 on a refactor, and started over.
The lesson: Interviewing well is different from working well. You need to hire for the startup environment, not just technical skills.
Technical Co-Founder vs. First Employee
Before you post a job, understand what you're actually looking for.
Technical Co-Founder
A technical co-founder should be someone you're building with, not just for. They:
- Take significant equity (10-25%+ typically)
- Share the risk and rewards
- Have a say in strategic decisions
- Complement your skills completely
First Employee
A first employee is someone you hire to execute on a vision you've already defined. They:
- Receive salary (and smaller equity grant)
- Have an employer-employee relationship
- Execute on defined tasks
- Need less equity to attract
Which do you need?
Question | If "Yes" | If "No" |
|---|---|---|
Do you need help defining the product vision? | Technical Co-Founder | First Employee |
Can you afford market-rate salary? | First Employee | Technical Co-Founder |
Do you have a clear product vision? | First Employee | Technical Co-Founder |
Do you need someone to make architectural decisions? | Technical Co-Founder | First Employee |
Skills You Actually Need
Most founders dramatically overestimate how complex their initial technical needs are. In the MVP and early stages, you need someone who can:
Build quickly. Speed matters more than perfection. MVP code will be rewritten.
Iterate based on feedback. You'll learn something new every week. Your developer needs to adapt.
Work with modern tooling. You don't need someone who knows COBOL. You need someone comfortable with current technology.
Be comfortable with ambiguity. Early-stage products change constantly. Chaos is the norm.
Communicate clearly. This person will be your only technical voice. They need to explain technical constraints to non-technical people.
Where to Find Your First Developer
The best developers often aren't actively looking for jobs. You need to go where they are.
Your Network (Best)
The highest-quality candidates come from your existing network. Think through everyone you know:
- Former colleagues
- College friends
- People you met at conferences
- Alumni from your university or bootcamp
A referral from someone you trust carries enormous weight.
Developer Communities
- GitHub (contributors to open source)
- LinkedIn (personalized outreach)
- Hacker News
- Reddit's r/programming
- Discord communities for your tech stack
Technical Events
- Meetups
- Hackathons
- Tech conferences
What to Look For in Interviews
Evaluating technical candidates is hard, especially when you're not technical yourself.
Portfolio and Code Review
Ask for code samples before you interview. Review their GitHub contributions.
Look for:
- Projects that show end-to-end thinking
- Code that's been shipped and iterated on
- Clean, readable code
- Tests and documentation
Problem-Solving Approach
Give candidates a real problem you're facing and ask how they'd approach it.
What to look for:
- Ask clarifying questions before jumping to solutions
- Consider multiple approaches
- Discuss trade-offs
- Arrive at a thoughtful recommendation
Red flags:
- Jumping to solutions without understanding the problem
- Uncomfortable with ambiguity
- Only interested in specific technologies
Culture and Communication Fit
Good signs:
- Communicates clearly
- Gives direct feedback
- Seems genuinely curious about what you're building
- Asks thoughtful questions
Red flags:
- Blaming former employers constantly
- Perfectionism over progress ("we need to do it right")
- Unwillingness to learn new things
- Vague answers about what they're looking for
Compensation for Your First Developer
This is where many founders feel most uncertain.
Salary Benchmarks
Location | Junior ($0-2 yrs) | Mid-Level (2-5 yrs) | Senior (5+ yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
SF/NYC | $100K-$130K | $130K-$180K | $180K-$250K |
Other Major Cities | $80K-$110K | $110K-$150K | $150K-$200K |
Remote (Global) | $60K-$90K | $90K-$130K | $130K-$180K |
Remote (US-based) | $90K-$120K | $120K-$160K | $160K-$220K |
Equity Grants
Equity is where you can make your offer compelling even if salary is constrained.
Typical grants:
- Technical co-founder: 10-25%
- First employee: 0.25-2%
Key terms:
- Vesting: 4 years with 1-year cliff
- Exercise window: What happens if they leave?
Other Compensation
Consider benefits that cost you little but matter to employees:
- Flexible work arrangements
- Learning and development budgets
- Conference attendance
- Home office stipends
- Generous PTO policies
Making the Offer
Once you've found the right person, move quickly. Strong candidates don't stay on the market long.
Your offer should include:
- Role and responsibilities
- Compensation (salary, equity, vesting)
- Benefits
- Start date
- Trial period (if applicable)
Consider a Paid Trial Project
A paid trial project (1-4 weeks) gives both parties a chance to see if the fit is real.
Benefits:
- Lower risk for both parties
- Real work sample
- Cultural assessment
How it works:
- Define a small, scoped project
- Pay a fair rate for the time
- Evaluate the work and collaboration
- Make a full-time offer if it goes well
Onboarding Your First Developer
The work doesn't stop when they sign.
Set Up Success
Have their environment ready on day one:
- Accounts created
- Access granted
- Documentation available
- Workstation configured
Pair Them Up
For their first weeks, pair them with you or another founder. The goal is constant access to answers.
Set Clear Expectations
Be clear about what success looks like:
- What should they accomplish in 30 days?
- What should they accomplish in 90 days?
- How will you give feedback?
Common Hiring Mistakes
These are the mistakes I see most often:
Mistake #1: Hiring Too Slowly
Every month you spend searching is a month your competitors are building. If you have funding and need technical work done, move faster.
Mistake #2: Over-Indexing on Credentials
A developer from a top company isn't automatically better. Focus on what they've built and how they think.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Cultural Fit
Technical skills can be taught. Attitude and work ethic are much harder to change.
Mistake #4: Offering Unfair Equity
Trying to lowball your first developer is short-sighted. This person is taking enormous risk by joining you.
Mistake #5: Not Being Honest About Challenges
Don't pretend your startup is further along than it is. Candidates who accept offers based on unrealistic expectations will be unhappy when reality sets in.
Building a Team, Not Just Hiring a Developer
Your first developer is the foundation of your technical team. How you treat them sets the pattern for everyone you hire after.
Invest in Their Growth
Send them to conferences. Give them time to learn new skills. Challenge them with interesting problems.
Create Leadership Opportunities
As you hire more developers, your first hire should become a technical leader. Give them ownership and responsibility.
Build a Healthy Culture
The culture you build with your first few hires will define your company for years. Prioritize psychological safety, continuous feedback, and shared purpose.
The Long View
Hiring your first developer is the beginning of building a technical team, not a one-time event.
The best founders are constantly scanning for talent, even when they're not hiring immediately. They build relationships before they need them.
Take your time. Be thorough. Trust your instincts. The right hire will transform your company.
Related Reading
- Building Your Engineering Team - Scaling from first hire to engineering org
- Architecture Decision Records - Setting up your technical foundation
- Technical Leadership for Early Stage - Building technical culture
Need help hiring your first developer?
At Startupbricks, we help founders hire technical talent. We know what to look for, how to evaluate candidates, and how to structure offers that attract top talent.
Let's talk about your hiring needs.