Perhaps most surpising at Web 2.0 is the focus on hiring talent. I’ve had a half-dozen conversations with people yearning to learn where eBay is finding good UI Design talent. It is clear to me that the demand curve for UI Designers is far outstripping the Bay Area’s supply curve (to reference my current econ class).
John Battelle’s conversation with Joe Kraus of JotSpot this morning got me thinking. Joe mentioned that he is a firm believer in the hiring philosophy of “No False Positives“. They key to this is hiring only A-players. If you agree with Joe, which I do, then finding and hiring talented people is key.
In some ways perhaps the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is the means to success. In may ways Venture Capital was the means in the Web 1.0 world. However in Web 2.0 perhaps more scarce than money is top talent. I think a key component of success over the coming years will be who can attract and acquire the top talent.
I’m hopeful that eBay will be among those that succeed in acquiring that talent.