Elena Verna, CMO at Lovable, shares her hiring philosophy built around two axes: Cowboys vs. Farmers (boundary-pushers vs. operational scalers) and Old Guard vs. New Guard (seasoned industry vets vs. AI-native newcomers). She argues that high-velocity, small teams need all four archetypes working together, with mutual appreciation being the key ingredient. Practical hiring tactics include paid trial work (2-3 days), contract-to-hire arrangements at all levels, and flat org structures with no internal titles. Culture enablers include radical autonomy, comfort with chaos, and humility across experience levels. She also offers self-assessment advice for job seekers: identify your quadrant, lean into your strengths, and actively build relationships with counterparts in other quadrants.
