@thebc12

🚨3 Hiring Shifts Founders Need to Make Before 2026🚨 People keep saying “it’s an employer’s market.” Honestly? They’re only half right. Yes — for generalist roles, there’s plenty of supply. But for AI and crypto talent, it’s still absolutely a candidate’s market… and most founders are still using the wrong playbook. -------- After a full year of hiring across AI, Crypto, and Advanced Commerce at @lazertech, here are the 3 shifts I think matter most heading into 2026: 1. Stop Hiring Every Role Like It’s the Same Market We’re not in one talent market — we’re in two. Generalists: employer’s market AI/crypto engineers: very much candidate-driven If you move slowly, stack five interview rounds, or filter candidates like you have infinite options… you won’t get the people you actually need. The biggest unlock? Calibrate speed and selectivity based on the specific role — not your overall vibe as a company. 2. Crypto Is Going Enterprise — and the Talent Profile Is Changing Fast This year’s M&A tells the story: Stripe–Privy, Coinbase–Deribit, Kraken–NinjaTrader. Crypto isn’t niche anymore. It’s infrastructure. Teams now need a different mix: crypto-native builders who understand primitives & culture AND engineers with real CS fundamentals (distributed systems, infra, security) The teams winning are pairing “scrappy crypto” with “serious engineering.” It’s not either/or — it’s the combo. 3. Proof of Work > Credentials (More Than Ever) - Skills-based hiring jumped from 40% → 60% in four years for a reason. - Shipped work beats logos. - AI fluency is the new baseline. - "Can you learn fast?” is becoming a more important predictor than “where did you work?” -------- The hires who end up being force multipliers almost never look perfect on paper — but they build, they think, and they can keep up with where work is going. Big picture: Most founders are hiring for the market they think they’re in. The best founders are hiring for the market that’s already here. Read more on The Onchain Recruiter - https://paragraph.com/@theonchainrecruiter/3-hiring-shifts-founders-need-to-make-for-2026

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