Hiring developers isn’t just difficult it’s one of the most underestimated challenges founders face. In the video, the speaker shares a no-fluff perspective on what it really takes to hire well, especially in the software development world. This blog takes those raw insights and distils them into practical, high-impact advice for founders, CTOs, and early-stage teams.
If you’re building a startup, scaling a dev team, or struggling with technical hiring, this is the reality check you need.
Why Hiring Developers Is So Brutally Hard
The brutal truth about hiring starts with expectations. Most founders assume they need to find “the best developer.” But in reality, the goal should be to find the right developer for your context, team, and stage.
In the video, it’s made clear: great developers on paper aren’t always great in practice. Culture fit, communication, autonomy, and adaptability often outweigh technical brilliance.
CTOs and hiring managers must shift their thinking. The perfect candidate on LinkedIn may not survive a high-pressure sprint in a startup with limited resources.
The Myth of the Rockstar Developer
The idea that one exceptional hire will solve all your problems is dangerous. Founders often waste time and budget chasing unicorns instead of building a well-balanced team.
In the video, the advice is direct: stop hiring for potential and start hiring for relevance. A mid-level dev who understands your stack and commits clean code is more valuable than a genius who can’t collaborate.
The brutal truth about hiring is that team dynamics matter more than individual genius. Developers must ship. And they must ship in your environment.
Speed vs. Fit: A Founder’s Dilemma
Hiring fast feels urgent. When you’re juggling product deadlines and investor pressure, it’s tempting to cut corners. But hiring without a clear process usually leads to misalignment, rework, and culture issues.
The video emphasises clarity: define what you actually need before you open a job post. Don’t copy-paste from another company’s hiring spec. Your startup’s needs are specific your job descriptions should be too.
This kind of structured thinking is what separates reactive founders from strategic CTOs. It saves time, protects team morale, and helps new hires hit the ground running.
Founder Advice: Prioritise Character and Communication
One of the most overlooked truths in hiring is that soft skills drive success. The best developers aren’t always the loudest or the flashiest they’re the ones who ask smart questions, communicate blockers, and improve the team.
In the video, we see how founders can easily be blinded by a shiny CV. But it’s the candidate who owns outcomes, collaborates well, and shares feedback who adds the most value over time.
Hiring with this lens changes the game. It leads to lower churn, better delivery, and a healthier engineering culture.
Hiring Is a Skill, Not an Event
Here’s something every founder should internalise: hiring isn’t something you do once. It’s a system. And like any system, it requires clarity, iteration, and feedback loops.
The brutal truth about hiring is that most founders treat it as a sprint, when it’s really a series of marathons. You must be willing to learn, adapt, and refine your approach constantly.
The video highlights this by showing the mindset of founders who consistently build strong teams. They review what went wrong, improve their onboarding, and stay engaged with the hiring market even when they’re not actively recruiting.
The CTO’s Role in Getting Hiring Right
Technical leaders can’t sit on the sidelines during hiring. In fact, the closer a CTO is to the hiring process, the better the outcome.
Whether it’s reviewing code tests, sitting in interviews, or defining the hiring bar, a hands-on CTO sets the tone for engineering standards and team culture.
In the video, this point is reinforced: technical founders who invest time in hiring early see better delivery outcomes and fewer cultural mismatches.
Final Thoughts: Facing the Brutal Truth with Confidence
Hiring developers isn’t glamorous. It’s messy, complex, and sometimes brutal. But it’s also the foundation of everything a startup builds.
To summarise the brutal truth about hiring:
- Focus on relevance, not resumes
- Prioritise clarity, culture, and communication
- Treat hiring as a system not a task
If you’re a founder or CTO building a team, you need to stop hoping for gThe Harsh Reality of Hiring Developers: What Founders and CTOs Must Understandreat hires and start engineering a hiring process that reflects your values and vision.
This is the reality. And if you can accept it you’ll hire better, grow faster, and build a team that actually lasts.