""I say: 'Look, I'm going to give you a bunch of references. I would like you to find anybody that I perfectly worked with,' he said. 'You're allowed to talk to anyone and you can tell them, they know this, that they should tell you my strengths and weaknesses.' And don't just call people who had good experiences, he added. 'I will identify people to you who I think are my negative references, people I've worked with before,' Hoffman said.""
""Hoffman said he gave OpenAI president Greg Brockman a list of his references before investing in the AI startup. This happened after Elon Musk left the company in 2018. 'One of the natural questions you guys should ask, that you might feel intimidated asking, is how do I think that I'm different than Elon as a partner,' he said, referring to Brockman and Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO.""
Founders are encouraged to perform reciprocal due diligence on potential investors by checking backgrounds and contacting references. Investors can provide lists of references that include both positive and negative contacts to enable honest assessments of strengths and weaknesses. Providing negative references builds trust and invites candid feedback. The approach has been used in major startup contexts, including providing references to OpenAI leadership prior to investing after a founder's departure. Prioritizing references over interviews or résumés is presented as an effective hiring and partnership practice in startup and investment relationships.
Read at Business Insider
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