Jason Lemkin, the founder of SaaStr and a long-time board member and investor, has flagged a disqualifying pattern in executive hiring. He reports that over 90% of VP-level and above candidates cannot answer one key question: what did they learn from their 8, 10, or more interviews with the founding team?
Lemkin shared this observation in a recent post after conducting many late-stage interviews as a board observer. By design, he tries to be one of the final conversations. His simple expectation is that candidates should be able to synthesize insights from the earlier rounds, yet the vast majority fall short.
The pattern, Lemkin argues, reveals a lack of strategic thinking and engagement. Candidates who cannot reflect on the substance of prior conversations suggest they were not genuinely listening or processing information, which he considers a clear disqualifier for senior leadership roles.
This critique underscores a broader trend in startup hiring: the bar for executive candidates is rising. In a tight talent market, soft skills like active listening and intellectual curiosity are increasingly valued alongside domain expertise. Lemkin's rule of thumb is gaining attention among founders and investors.
Lemkin's track record as an investor and former CEO of EchoSign (acquired by Adobe) adds weight to his perspective. His view reinforces that at the VP level and above, the interview process itself is a test of a candidate's ability to learn and adapt on the fly.