Snapchat CEO's impossible tasks for new hires on Day 1!
Snapchat CEO's impossible tasks for new hires on Day 1!
Snapchat’s cofounder and CEO Evan Spiegel puts fresh talent to the test in a nightmarish way!
Rather than easing in with office tours or paperwork, new designers are given mere minutes to brainstorm and pitch a brand-new idea to the team. Of course, they are probably terrified of falling flat on their face—and that’s precisely the point.
“When you have no context for what the company is working on, no idea what’s going on, how on earth are you supposed to come up with a great idea? I mean, it’s almost impossible,” Spiegel admitted on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
“We have design critiques once a week for a couple hours,” said Spiegel, 34, whose company owns social media app Snapchat. ”[On] your very first day, you have to present something ... Of course, on your first day, when you have no context for what the company is working on
The tactic may seem unfair, but it lays the groundwork for the creativity and critical thinking skills that the employee will need to succeed at the company, Spiegel said. It can also help people quickly get over their fear of failure, encouraging them to take more work-related risks.
