Definition
Poaching
Frontier labs hiring away specialist engineers, the threat behind Eric's cell structure.
From the episode “He Quit Venture Capital to Build an AI Workforce for Patients”Hear it on the podcast1 episode
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Related terms in Leadership & Mindset
Payroll FreezeA hiring pause in which companies stop adding new headcount without necessarily laying off existing employees. Describes how AI is currently affecting employment more than through outright job cuts.PEO (Professional Employer Organization)A co-employment model where the PEO handles HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance for small companies that couldn't access enterprise-grade benefits otherwise.Person-to-Desk RatioThe number of employees per physical desk in an office - a key metric for corporate real estate planning. A 1:1 ratio means every employee has a dedicated desk; a 3:1 ratio means three employees share one desk across different days or shifts. Pre-pandemic, most companies operated near 1:1. Post-pandemic hybrid adoption has pushed many companies toward 2:1 to 4:1 ratios, enabling significant real estate cost reductions. Dan Bladen cites desks costing $15,000 to $40,000 per year all-in; moving from 1:1 to 3:1 effectively reduces the real estate cost per employee by two-thirds. Managing a higher ratio without creating 'no desk' situations on high-demand days is the operational problem Kadence solves.Philosophical counselingStructured inquiry into meaning, values, and identity, applied here to money and exits.Pre, During, PostVirginia's framework for thinking about an event's full arc: communications and anticipation before, presence and connection during, and deliberate follow-up after. Most founders only plan the middle.Predictive IndexA behavioral and cognitive assessment used to gauge role fit beyond skills.PresenceDeliberate attention to current experience without distraction.Process-Oriented Offshore RolesJob functions well-suited to remote offshore staffing because they operate on defined processes, measurable outputs, and minimal need for ambient daily communication with on-site leadership. Characteristics: clear deliverables, documented workflows, outcomes that can be monitored asynchronously, and limited dependency on reading the room or navigating unspoken organizational dynamics. Examples Nicolas cites: accounting, HR support, customer success, client onboarding, and software development. Contrast with roles that are harder to offshore: creative marketing (requires constant iteration with stakeholders), early-stage leadership (depends on filling undefined gaps), and any function where success requires being physically present in the team's daily culture.