A fast-growing unicorn was probably the opposite of what I wanted.
That was the note I sent to the third recruiter in two days.
One search was for a senior engineering leader at a public company worth about $100 billion. Another was a CTO role at a company headed toward an IPO. Then came the unicorn. All three were presented as rare, huge, and moving fast.
I was not actively looking. I was still on vacation. I wanted to save everybody some time.
I sent the recruiters the same three things I cared about:
- the ability to make an impact, which was usually easier at an earlier-stage company;
- meaningful ownership and real upside;
- a sector or problem that was actually interesting to solve.
A giant company could still have those things. I was open to somebody showing me how. My experience said the first two became harder as the company got bigger and later.
I had already helped take Shutterstock through its IPO years. I called that box checked. Joining another company shortly before an exit did not automatically make the job interesting.
The CTO title did not automatically solve it either. I had run technology and product, or technology and content, because a standalone CTO role could end up without much ability to shape the business. The organization would need to be designed so the job had actual teeth.
This was not a hard no. I told each recruiter that if I was wrong, or if the role had something the headline missed, they should send it over. I was happy to learn more.
My phone mangled the first message to recruiter number three, so I sent the complete version a minute later with an apology.
Then I left it with them. If somebody could show me how the role met the criteria, I was happy to see it. Otherwise I preferred not to waste anybody's time.