From crypto native to crypto forward: Ryan Andersen's O1 Labs talent playbook

Meet Ryan Andersen

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Ryan started as the first technical recruiter at Kraken in 2017, later headed portfolio talent at Pantera Capital, and now runs talent at O1 Labs (Mina Protocol). He's built teams through three market cycles, evolving his hiring philosophy from strict crypto-native requirements to a more nuanced approach as the industry has matured. With roots in high-frequency trading recruitment, Ryan applies structured evaluation to an often gut-driven process. His framework balances technical evaluation with behavioral assessment, addressing the reality that Web3 can't afford brilliant jerks or mercenary talent who vanish when markets turn.

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Key Takeaways

From crypto-native to crypto-forward: evolving your talent strategy

Ryan's philosophy on Web3 hiring has evolved from requiring pure crypto natives to embracing "crypto-forward" talent—especially as companies scale beyond founding teams.

"Everyone's fighting for the top 1% of talent. I'm coming into this myself looking for marketing leaders that have done token successful launches, and there's few."

Andersen advocates for different approaches at different stages:

• Under 10 employees: Maintain strict crypto-native requirements for your cultural foundation
• 10-50 employees: Begin incorporating "crypto-curious" talent with relevant skills who show genuine interest
• 50+ employees: Expand to include talented outsiders with transferable skills and right mindset

The key is screening for genuine passion, not mere opportunism:

"It's 2025, so I hope everybody has a Coinbase account or something. That's no longer the bar. What we look for is critical thinking about the space, not just employment in it."

Action for founders:

• Match your hiring criteria to your stage—start strict, loosen gradually
• Screen for people who can articulate Web3's impact beyond investment returns
• Look beyond crypto employment history to ecosystem participation (testnets, DAOs, hackathons)
• Consider adjacent industries with relevant skills for non-core roles

Founders must own the hiring table before setting it

Andersen is adamant that early-stage founders must spend at least 50% of their time on hiring-related activities—a figure that surprises many technical founders.

"Your reputation is everything in the early days. Taking shortcuts will cost you much more than time later on."

This time should be allocated to:

• Conversations and relationship-building with potential talent
• Creating and refining a thoughtful hiring process
• Setting clear values and role expectations
• Evaluating cultural fit alongside technical skills

What founders should avoid spending time on:

• Chasing clearly overqualified candidates ("selling equity to someone at a FAANG salary")
• Hiring junior talent without management infrastructure to support them
• Relying solely on contingency agencies without internal guardrails
• Neglecting to close loops with candidates who don't make it

Action for founders:

• Schedule dedicated weekly blocks for hiring activities—not just when you "need someone"
• Design your core process and values before starting to hire in volume
• Use your VC investors' networks strategically instead of casting unnecessarily wide nets
• Consider a temporary/fractional talent advisor before hiring a full-time recruiter

The two-week sweet spot for candidate experience

O1 Labs has refined its hiring approach to a deliberate two-week process that balances speed with thoroughness. This timeline represents a middle path between rushed decisions and dragged-out evaluations.

"I was originally a fan of fast processes, but you can move too fast. Taking a developer to lunch and hiring them the next day means they haven't met the people they're working with."

The ideal process includes:

1. Initial intake call with clear timeline expectations
2. Hiring manager conversation
3. Two technical rounds with team members
4. Behavioral interview with engineering managers
5. Values alignment with head of people
6. CEO "pump up call" (30 minutes)

Ryan emphasizes structured evaluation across multiple dimensions:

• Technical skills and problem-solving
• Communication abilities
• Cultural values alignment
• Motivation and genuine interest
• Humility and ability to handle feedback

Action for founders:

• Communicate timeline expectations upfront to candidates
• Use multiple interviewers to reduce bias and get diverse perspectives
• Design scorecards tied to specific values and competencies
• Include behavioral questions that probe past failures and growth
• Balance technical evaluation with team fit assessment

Values-driven selection over checkbox credentials

At O1 Labs, recruiting starts with a clear values framework that evolves as the company grows. Andersen maintains a values council with both leadership and individual contributors to regularly reassess and refine these principles.

"Your values can change when you're 50 people vs. 3,000 people. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

The company values transparency to an unusual degree:

"At O1, we share our internal budgets and finances with the team. A lot of companies don't do that. We're a little bit different—we have an employee-governed board with no VCs."

Key values they screen for include:

• Default to transparency: ability to communicate openly, even about challenges
• Accountability: willingness to admit mistakes and learn from them
• Intellectual honesty: avoiding dogmatic thinking in favor of nuanced understanding
• Humility: separating ego from ideas

Andersen explicitly warns against hiring "brilliant jerks"—technically skilled people who can't work well with others in a small company environment.

Action for founders:

• Create explicit values that are authentic to your company, not aspirational platitudes
• Regularly revisit values as the company grows and markets change
• Include current team members in values definition and evolution
• Design interview questions that reveal alignment with specific values
• Be willing to pass on technically strong candidates who don't align with values

Treat rejected candidates like your customers

Andersen has developed a differentiated approach to candidate rejection that turns would-be hires into ecosystem allies rather than disappointed applicants.

"It's a surprise to candidates when they are the runner-up and you actually give them that closure. They're like, 'Oh, thank you so much.' And I'm like, 'No, that's the least I can do.'"

Rather than sending impersonal template emails, O1 Labs:

• Conducts video calls for runner-up candidates to provide feedback
• Actively connects rejected candidates with other opportunities in their network
• Uses VC partner networks (e.g., Dragonfly's talent marketplace) to find candidates alternative roles
• Builds an ecosystem approach that keeps talent circulating within Web3

The human touch matters particularly in rejection:

"You can't see my face or my emotions in text. We've become too much like robots with the recruiting process. Generic emails aren't enough."

Action for founders:

• Schedule five minutes with runner-up candidates for personalized feedback
• Build relationships with other founders to create referral networks
• Track candidate rejections to make future connections when appropriate
• Consider building an ecosystem developer program for promising non-hires
• Remember these candidates may become customers, partners, or future hires

Hiring your first recruiter: the founder's first leverage point

The first recruiter hire represents a critical inflection point for founder time management. Andersen provides clear signals for when this investment makes sense.

Key signals you need your first recruiter:

• Planning to hire 8+ people in the coming year
• Founders spending >50% of time on recruiting activities
• Personal networks are exhausted
• Desire to build a consistent employer brand beyond founders

The ideal first recruiter profile:

• 2-5 years of experience
• Combined agency and in-house background preferred
• Agency experience for sourcing rigor
• In-house experience for understanding internal dynamics
• Ability to adapt communication style to different stakeholders

Action for founders:

• Screen for candidate experience mindset by asking about specific examples
• Test for ability to articulate your company mission without looking at notes
• Consider interim/fractional talent leadership before full-time hire
• Supplement with an HR generalist for compliance needs
• Ask candidates how they would handle a situation where a hiring manager wanted to cancel an interview with a strong candidate who wasn't right for the current role

Metrics & signals:

Hiring process health:

• Percentage of offers accepted vs. declined
• Time to fill key positions
• Quality of candidate experience feedback
• Candidate volume at each funnel stage
• Diversity of candidate pipeline

Candidate quality:

• Past projects and specific contributions
• Ability to handle constructive criticism
• Evidence of learning from failures
• Values alignment through behavioral examples
• Motivation beyond compensation

Recruiter effectiveness:

• Ability to articulate company mission and values
• Quality of recommended candidates
• Relationships built with hiring managers
• Process improvements implemented
• Candidate experience ratings

Hard lessons & adaptations

From rush to rigor: Andersen initially favoured extremely fast hiring processes but learned that giving candidates time to meet the team and thoughtfully evaluate the opportunity led to better retention and performance. "You need to be fast but also take the time for the candidate to really think it through."

Passing on technical stars: Despite desperate needs for engineering talent, Andersen has learned to pass on technically brilliant candidates who don't align with values. "We limit 'brilliant jerks.' If they don't get along in the sandbox, we'll suffer long-term."

The negotiation with founders: Implementing structured processes often required careful founder education: "Before I came, they didn't assess behavioural aspects. If you could code, you would get a job. That's fine at 5 people, deadly at 50."

Balancing agency and in-house perspectives: Recruiting requires different mindsets at different stages: "As an agency recruiter, I'd be like 'what's the holdup?' when internal teams were slow. Now I understand the balancing act better."

Advice to founders

On transparency: "Default to transparency. At O1, we go over our internal budgets and finances with the team—most companies don't do that. It creates genuine trust."

On candidate care: "Your employer brand is the CEO's responsibility, but you won't have time to manage it at scale. A good recruiter develops partnerships across the organization to make this sustainable."

On hiring speed: "I'm a fan of moving fast, but too fast means candidates haven't met the people they'll work with. Taking two weeks means they can make an informed choice they won't regret."

On culture: "Values can change as you grow. Create a regular process to evaluate whether you're living up to the values you claim, and be willing to evolve them thoughtfully."

Next steps: how to apply the O1 Labs playbook

• Develop a values council with representatives from different teams and levels
• Create a standard two-week process with clear stage gates and evaluation criteria
• Build formal relationships with 2-3 ecosystem partners for talent sharing
• Implement video feedback calls for runner-up candidates
• Establish scorecards that balance technical and cultural assessment

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