It's also important to make sure people are well-rounded. If one can tweak an architecture to put a queue in the right spot, she/he may still be the person tha

It's also important to make sure people are well-rounded. If one can tweak an architecture to put a queue in the right spot, she/he may still be the person that cannot properly implement simple concepts like "separation of concerns" or forgets input validation or security checks. At the end of the day, with start-ups I really value that mix of system and hands-on code. Without initial hires having both, it's harder to build a solid system while iterating so quickly. Amazing people skills are also key. Over-leveling and bad hire situations are no good for anybody.