As a non-hacker on a team with two exceptional hackers, I would recommend the following startup advice:
1) DO have incentives that reflect contribution- all of us have equity split evenly, everyone brings something to the table; these guys will later also help determine the direction of future hires (and I trust their abilities to do so)
2) DO be more open than usual- the difference between bullies and real partners is being able to include everyone in the process, it makes everyone feel like they're working toward the goal. Definitely make sure that you're adding value and let others know of what you're doing and say why. Include people in meetings if they want, usually, your biz dev meeting are so boring that your partners don't want to sit in (they want to be there for the decision, but not for the meetings before it).
3) DO NOT micromanage- I think Sam Altman said this in an interview that the greatest startups are where you have a bunch of people doing amazing things all at the same time and they're driving to a goal. Definitely set milestones for each other, but do not question when your hacker takes time off to play Guitar Hero
4) DO make it about the company- You're building a company and that's the bigger goal, it's not about you, it's about the company. So, stick to milestones, stick to atomic goals, and go hard down the path to victory.
5) DO make the environment easier to hack- Your job is to get a product out, so that includes some management and creativity, while also doing the other tasks that distract (biz dev, etc.)
6) DO learn to hack yourself (not for the business, but for yourself)- I'm learning Python and it gives you a better perspective of what your hacker partners are doing. Don't hack for your business, choose some problems that you want to tackle yourself and do those on the side.
As to hacker recruitment, hire slow and make sure that person can work with your folks. It's all about that culture, so it starts with the list above and making a hacker-friendly culture. It's no surprise that Google and Facebook are obsessive about that.
1) DO have incentives that reflect contribution- all of us have equity split evenly, everyone brings something to the table; these guys will later also help determine the direction of future hires (and I trust their abilities to do so)
2) DO be more open than usual- the difference between bullies and real partners is being able to include everyone in the process, it makes everyone feel like they're working toward the goal. Definitely make sure that you're adding value and let others know of what you're doing and say why. Include people in meetings if they want, usually, your biz dev meeting are so boring that your partners don't want to sit in (they want to be there for the decision, but not for the meetings before it).
3) DO NOT micromanage- I think Sam Altman said this in an interview that the greatest startups are where you have a bunch of people doing amazing things all at the same time and they're driving to a goal. Definitely set milestones for each other, but do not question when your hacker takes time off to play Guitar Hero
4) DO make it about the company- You're building a company and that's the bigger goal, it's not about you, it's about the company. So, stick to milestones, stick to atomic goals, and go hard down the path to victory.
5) DO make the environment easier to hack- Your job is to get a product out, so that includes some management and creativity, while also doing the other tasks that distract (biz dev, etc.)
6) DO learn to hack yourself (not for the business, but for yourself)- I'm learning Python and it gives you a better perspective of what your hacker partners are doing. Don't hack for your business, choose some problems that you want to tackle yourself and do those on the side.
As to hacker recruitment, hire slow and make sure that person can work with your folks. It's all about that culture, so it starts with the list above and making a hacker-friendly culture. It's no surprise that Google and Facebook are obsessive about that.