That's not a rare attitude ("I never hire unlucky people"). I'd imagine that VCs are the same way. Yes, you'll exclude good people if you cop that attitude, be

That's not a rare attitude ("I never hire unlucky people"). I'd imagine that VCs are the same way. Yes, you'll exclude good people if you cop that attitude, because good people often get unlucky. However, the people you get will be terrified (and manipulable). The purpose of back channel reference checking (or age discrimination) isn't to get good people. It's to scare the shit out of the people you have, so they do what you say without question.