Written by: Ben Wu, a16z

Translated by: Chopper, Foresight News

The emergence of cryptocurrency is not just to reshape currency or move databases to the blockchain. It represents a deeper transformation: moving from opaque systems to mechanisms that can be directly examined, verified, and derived. Code is open and transparent, transaction settlements are predictable, and rules are enforced by objective software.

However, when it comes to recruitment, many builders of these systems have quietly forgotten these principles. Recruitment in the crypto industry often surprisingly adheres to traditional methods: educational background, experience at large companies, endorsements from renowned institutions still dominate early screening.

While these signals are convenient, they are essentially based on trust. They lead decision-makers to infer ability rather than verify it. This article will explain how we can recruit in a way that is more in line with the spirit of crypto and more likely to yield excellent results.

The Funnel of Education and Qualifications

Traditional recruitment relies on heuristics: degrees, former employers, formal titles, which are compressed into screening labels that enable teams to make quick decisions when time and energy are limited. When used cautiously, these shortcuts are not irrational.

However, over time, the recruitment method of valuing qualifications can lead to bias: for example, overlooking those who learn through practice rather than following rules; placing too much emphasis on institutional background while neglecting actual skills; or postponing genuine proof of ability to later stages of the recruitment process (or even completely ignoring it).

Crypto Already Has Verifiable Signals

One of the core features of the crypto industry is that work outputs are presumed to be publicly accessible. Builders do not need permission from centralized gatekeepers, nor do they need third-party certifications to demonstrate their abilities; they only need to create something.

As a result, talent in the crypto industry leaves a continuous and verifiable record of output, including:

• Public code repositories, submission records, merge requests, and code reviews
• Deployments to test nets and main nets, verifiable source code smart contracts
• On-chain activities viewable through blockchain explorers and protocol interfaces
• Contributions to hackathons, DAOs, and open-source communities

In the end, resumes are just statements, while technical work leaves evidence. They can be directly examined without relying on endorsements, recommendations, or institutional reputation.

In the crypto world, a person's work can be recognized without institutional support. No matter where you graduated from or whom you have worked for, the outputs can be directly verified.

Especially for technical positions, showcasing work is far more persuasive than background. Furthermore, these contributions continuously accumulate: submission records are permanently accessible, deployments continue to operate, and the history of contributions deepens. Many crypto builders have already proven themselves through their abilities before their resumes reflect it.

Contributors stand out in hackathons before gaining formal positions in foundations; builders earn their reputation within DAOs without ever holding any titles.

Output leads, recognition follows.

When Signals Begin to Distort

As verifiable work becomes more prominent, imitation becomes easier. Open-source contributions have long been a strong signal of technical skill, but as AI tools proliferate and the incentives for public contributions increase, this signal begins to get noisy.

Some contributors pursue quantity over quality: making a large number of minor changes across multiple repositories, lacking follow-through, and rarely tackling more challenging problems. These changes may be correct, occasionally accepted, but do not reflect a deep understanding or sustained responsibility.

Even with these issues, verification remains effective, but the premise is to genuinely assess the work itself. Code quality, problem selection, and long-term contribution history are more important than isolated outcomes.

High-value builders will demonstrate depth and continuity, with their work continuously accumulating. You can learn to distinguish; low-value builders are easily seen through.

Moving Towards a "Verification-First" Recruitment Model

In order to recruit talent more efficiently, more teams can adopt a verification-first recruitment approach:

• Reveal verifiable signals as early as possible: prioritize code quality, deployed systems, contribution history, treating resumes as background references rather than strict gates.
• Directly incorporate on-chain and open-source data into the recruitment process: regard these outputs as important materials in the recruitment system.
• Embed recruitment in real scenarios: delve into hackathons, DAOs, and open-source communities; talent is already there.

"Verification-first" requires teams to change how they attract talent: no longer waiting for candidates to apply or relying on narrow filters like target companies or prestigious schools; founders and recruitment teams can proactively identify builders who have already produced high-quality work in public settings: core repositories, deployed systems, governance or design discussions, and other foundational infrastructure relied upon by other teams.

For example, excellent Solidity engineers are often found in:

• Core protocols and tool libraries on GitHub
• Public discussions and submissions of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs)
• Contract deployments and on-chain activities verifiable through explorers like Etherscan

This logic applies to all ecosystems, including Move-based public chains, Rust engineers, zero-knowledge systems, and various application protocols. Hackathons are pools of high-value talent, with events like ETHGlobal and Solana Breakpoint gathering builders who can code and deliver under pressure.

In Conclusion

This is not about replacing one set of credentials with another, but shifting the focus from indirect evidence to direct evidence.

Education and qualifications are still important, but they are most effective when combined with observable output. In an industry centered on transparency and execution, crypto recruitment should begin with verification. Let "trust" become the background rather than a premise.

This is exactly the core tenet of the industry: Don’t trust, verify. Today, apply it to the search for the best talent.