The Architect of the Paypal Mafia: Peterson Conway “HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

This week Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church sit down with Peterson Conway, headhunter, investor, and advisor who shares insights from his epic career working closely with Silicon Valley greats like Peter Thiel, Kevin Hartz, Keith Rabois, and Joe Lonsdale. Conway has assembled talent for the founding/early teams of Xoom, Palantir, Founders Fund, and 8VC
Strap in for some crazy stories. Conway's journey highlights the significance of curiosity, optimism, and unconventional hiring practices in Silicon Valley. Conway reflects on the profile of talent he looks for and drills down to certain keywords he uses to search for seeking individuals with strong convictions and a "fight from the bottom" spirit.
HR Heretics is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co
--
SPONSOR: Attio is the next generation of CRM. It’s powerful, flexible and easily configures to the unique way your startup runs, whatever your go-to-market motion. The next era deserves a better CRM. Join Replicate, ElevenLabs, Modal and more at https://bit.ly/AttioHRHeretics
--
LINKS:
Zero to 1 by Peter Thiel & Blake Masters: https://www.amazon.com.au/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296Butthole Notorious: https://pconway-73418.medium.com/butthole-notorious-e4ac4ff12db4
Peterson Conway: https://www.petersonconway.com/

KEEP UP WITH PETERSON, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN
Peterson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersonconway/
Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/
Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(01:49) Intro
(02:41) Peterson's Unconventional Path to Silicon Valley Success
(09:23) Navigating Challenges and Learning from Silicon Valley Titans
(16:18) Exploring the Magic of Silicon Valley and Beyond
(18:56) Sponsor: Attio
(24:46) The Dynamics of Connectivity, Safety, and the Future of Work
(27:37) Exploring the Intersection of Fear and Love
(27:55) The Therapeutic Journey: From Fear to Healing
(28:13) On Guilt, Shame, and Vulnerability
(29:55) Unfiltered Conversations: Embracing Discomfort
(31:42) The Power of Silence in Communication
(32:26) Team Construction and the Quest for the Right Hire
(35:04) Recruiting: From Elite Schools to Keyword Searches for Grit and Determination
(39:14) The Role of HR in Shaping Company Culture
(43:36) On Unconventional Recruiting and Finding Hidden Gems
(50:19) The Art of Asking for Forgiveness, Not Permission
(50:41) Wrap




This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com