Verified guest

Vlad Loktev

Vlad was my manager at Airbnb for many years and he's the person that I credit most for teaching me

1 episode · 1 sourced appearance

Appearances and evidence

Short attributed excerpts only. Timestamps are approximate.

“Today my guest is Vlad Loktev.”

Speaker: Lenny Rachitsky▶ Watch at ~1:00approx.

Episode-linked context, not an unsupported claim of authorship.

Hire sharp, complementary spikes instead of developing everyone into generalists

Two daily questions, driver-mapping, and back-of-envelope math before any project earns your time

Dial up questions, dial down your case — then check if you still disagree

Agree which problems you let burn this week — and the three that never can

When things feel too calm, inject an absurd deadline to force intuition and creative leaps

Never self-censor — but poke only after the homework, and only with data

Tell candidates the worst day at your company in full detail — then ask if they still want to join

Two rituals for perfectionists: the Serenity Prayer, and a bucket you cannot un-bin

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