A chat with a founder at Cosmic Coffee made me rethink Austin's talent pool

I was talking to a software founder last week who moved her team here from San Francisco about 18 months ago. She said she came expecting to hire senior engineers fast, but found she had to build them up from mid-level talent instead. She argued it's better for Austin in the long run, creating a deeper local bench. I always thought we needed to just keep pulling in big names. Her point about investing in the people already here hit different. What's your take on building vs. buying senior tech talent in Austin?

3 comments

3 Comments

hall.joel8d ago

See it like growing a garden instead of just buying cut flowers. The local roots make everything stronger over time.

sage_green8d ago

Wait, @hall.joel, you've actually grown a garden? I've only ever managed to kill houseplants.

sage_green8d ago

That "local roots" thing is why my neighborhood feels more real than my social media feed.