Barack Obama And The Startup Job Interview
Absurd as it sounds, Barack Obama is looking for a mid-level management position within a tech startup.
Absurd as it sounds, Barack Obama is looking for a mid-level management position within a tech startup. Apparently Mr. Obama misses the days of high impact behind the scenes work. A friend of mine from a16z spent weeks setting up an interview with a startup, recruiting is one of the many value adds a16z offers to portfolio companies.
Startups, those chaotic incubators of "disruption" where CEOs wear hoodies and meetings happen on beanbag chairs, are not exactly known for their professionalism. They're the kind of places where people name their dogs "Chief Happiness Officer" and consider ping-pong tournaments a legitimate team-building exercise. The kind of places where someone might seriously ask a former President of the United States to roleplay a situation where he showed a "growth mindset."
Obama's interview went poorly, based on the transcript my friend Arianna shared with me under the condition of anonymity.
The whole thing perfectly captured the absurdity of startup culture colliding with traditional power structures. Here was a company that probably had "Move Fast and Break Things" painted on their wall in neon letters, interviewing someone who once had access to nuclear launch codes.
INTERVIEWER: Tell me about yourself?
OBAMA: I'm Barack Obama.
INTERVIEWER: OKAAAAYYY. What are your strengths & weaknesses?
OBAMA: I was the President of the United States.
INTERVIEWER: I see we are still on the first question. Let's just skip ahead. Why do you want to work here?
OBAMA: I was... I was the President of the United States... I um... I just didn't think you'd ask me a question like that. Er. Um. I thought you'd be thrilled to talk to me.
INTERVIEWER: I speak with a lot of people. I don't get excited over candidates anymore.
OBAMA: [Adjusts tie] I understand. I've met quite a few people myself.
INTERVIEWER: Tell me about a time you led a cross-functional team.
OBAMA: I was... I was the President of the United States.
INTERVIEWER: So you've said. Can you give an answer in the challenge-actions-and-results format for a time you led a cross-functional team?
OBAMA: I led six nations in reaching an agreement with Iran that requires the country to end its nuclear weapons program and submit to a rigorous International Atomic Energy Agency inspections regime in exchange for lifting global sanctions.
INTERVIEWER: Do you not know what challenge-actions-and-results format means?
OBAMA: [Clearing throat] Iran's nuclear program posed a significant global security threat, requiring a diplomatic solution that satisfied multiple nations with diverse interests. I led negotiations among six nations to reach a historic agreement with Iran, ensuring rigorous terms that mandated the country to end its nuclear weapons program and comply with a stringent International Atomic Energy Agency inspections regime. The agreement successfully curtailed Iran's nuclear ambitions while securing international consensus, leading to the lifting of global sanctions and fostering greater stability in the region. Do you truly feel the first answer was insufficient?
INTERVIEWER: I'm going to have to cut this short. Do you have any questions for us?
OBAMA: No, my staff set up a great intel brief. Anyway, want to see a magic trick where I tell you your social security number?
INTERVIEWER: No thank you. Mr. Obama, I'm sure someone will be in touch. If you can just send over a short case study about a time you showed leadership, we require this to advance to the next round of interviews.
OBAMA: I eliminated Osama bin Laden in 2011.
INTERVIEWER: Eliminated? I'm afraid we cannot consider violent people for this role.
OBAMA: [Lighting cigarette] You are truly lost.