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In startups, firing is more important than hiring | by Roy Bahat | Also by Roy Bahat

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I often ask founders this question, because many of them have yet to have that experience. The first time I fired someone, it was excruciating. You get better at it, and it’s one of the most important skills for a startup founder to learn. Whether you hire well matters enormously — it sets the ceiling of how well your startup can do — and whether you fire well might matter even more. If you fire mismatches quickly, you speed up everything: execution, building a culture, even future hiring. If you fire well, you end up with a stronger, more trusting, more decisive culture. When I say this, I sound like a heartless capitalist. In firing, it goes without saying that the person being fired often suffers: psychologically, financially, socially, and otherwise. It’s important to both hold awareness of that and make the choices you’re responsible for as a leader. If that sounds hard, welcome to leadership. It’s essential in firing people to be humane and generous. (As an aside: I also believe

Management Hiring Startup Work Firing In startups, firing is more important than hiring We’re so often wrong when we make hires, so why try to perfect the hiring Roy Bahat 8 min read · Nov 11, 2025 -- 1 Listen Share Press enter or click to view image in full size ChatGPT’s take on the text of this piece. “Have you ever fired someone?” I often ask founders this question, because many of them have yet to have that experience. The first time I fired someone, it was excruciating. You get better at it, and it’s one of the most important skills for a startup founder to learn. Whether you hire well m

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