"If you are interviewing with the lead developers, #1 reason you are not hired is that they felt you are better than themselves and you could replace them so do

"If you are interviewing with the lead developers, #1 reason you are not hired is that they felt you are better than themselves and you could replace them so don't make them feel that any way." I can't imagine that this would be true. If I were the lead developer at a startup (disclaimer: a position I've never been in), then I'd be looking for the absolute best developers the company could afford. The goal is to reach the exit, and hiring average or mediocre developers doesn't get the company there as quickly as hiring superstars does. In fact, I think that hiring the wrong people could potentially prevent you from making it to the exit at all. A startup, to me, doesn't seem like the place to be building an empire. By definition, you're working with fewer resources and you're likely answerable to too many masters.