The greatest mistake I ever made in my career was trying to convince people to join a startup. I’m not here to convince you.
In my early days, I oversold. I tried to make the journey look easier than it was. I tried to convince people that going smaller could feel as stable as Microsoft. I tried to make ownership sound exciting without fully preparing people for the weight of it. The kind of ownership that changes how you show up every single day.
On one hand, it’s the most empowering thing you will ever feel. On the other hand, it’s hard. Really hard.
As I sit here almost five years in, thinking about the next twenty, I’m more excited than I have ever been about what we’re building and why. And the only thing that matters to me now is finding people who deeply and genuinely believe in this mission too.
I don’t want you to work here because you want to work with me.
I don’t want you to work here because you want to try a startup.
I don’t want you to work here because small sounds refreshing after years at a big company.
You should want to work here because you care deeply about one question:
How do we build an internet we can trust?
That is the work.
We believe it starts with things that are open and inspectable. Things that give people more control over what they share, who they trust, and the relationships they build.
We don’t have all the answers. We’re a lab. We build, experiment, and share what we learn.
If that belief isn’t already in your bones, nothing I write here should convince you. And that’s okay.
But if it is, and if you’re the best in the world at what you do, and if you are obsessed with becoming more effective, more leveraged, and more impactful, then maybe it’s worth applying. Because there is one word that drives everything we do here. Leverage. Leverage is our operating system. It shapes every cultural norm, every system, every tool, every decision.
Our goal is simple. Help every person here become one of the most highly leveraged individuals on earth. Better tools. Better systems. Better teammates. Clearer priorities. Less noise. More output.
We measure ourselves with one ratio. Total messages sent on XMTP divided by total employees.
It forces us to build things that scale beyond headcount.
It forces focus.
It forces great systems.
It forces us to hire only when hiring increases the total leverage of the organization.
That is why we hire slowly and rarely.
That is why getting a job here is hard.
And it is intentional.
Here is something I did not understand early in my career. Something I wish someone had told me. For the few people who do get to work here, it is a chance to own and lead and grow in your career like never before.
We don’t hide how the company works.
We don’t shield people from hard decisions.
We want everyone here to learn everything there is to know about running and building a company.
Because the best thing about going small isn’t the speed. It isn’t the lack of red tape.
It is the learning. Seeing how it really works from the inside out.
Whatever you want to do after XMTP.
Start something. Lead something. Build something.
You will be better because of your time here.
You will leave with a level of judgment, ownership, and leverage you can’t get anywhere else.
If this resonates, show us your work.
If it doesn’t, that’s fine too. Please send this to someone you know who would thrive here.
— Shane