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Reid Hoffman: The PayPal Mafia's Hiring Strategy Was Deliberately Unconventional

By Reid Hoffman · Leadership · 1 min read

PayPal did not hire from Stanford's CS department. They hired from the debate team.

Key Points

PayPal hired for thinking ability, not technical credentials
They sought people who could argue both sides of any issue
The unconventional hires became some of the most successful founders in Silicon Valley

We did not hire the best engineers. We hired the best thinkers. Then we taught them engineering.

Not Engineers

PayPal's early team was not full of Stanford CS graduates.

Hoffman says they hired from unexpected places. Philosophy. Debate. Chess.

They wanted people who could think clearly under pressure. Not people who could code fastest.

Both Sides

The key test: could you argue both sides of an issue convincingly?

If you could only see one perspective, you were not flexible enough.

The ability to hold two opposing ideas simultaneously — that was the hiring bar.

We hired the best thinkers. Then taught them engineering.

The Results

Those unconventional hires became the PayPal Mafia.

Elon Musk. Peter Thiel. Reid Hoffman. Max Levchin. YouTube founders. Yelp founders.

The best talent pool in Silicon Valley history came from hiring for thinking, not credentials.