2 min lesson
Questions to ask & red-flag handling
Name the key items in "Questions to ask & red-flag handling", then explain why each one matters.
Step 1 of 3
Walk in with five questions so two survive the conversation. The questions you ask are themselves a seniority signal - a founding-platform hire probes the platform's real pain, not the perks.
Aim at the seams of the system you'd own and assume it's partly unbuilt. A question that takes for granted there's a current reliability or cost fire and asks which one is worst signals that you'd run toward the hard problem rather than ask for a comfortable seat.
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Full explanation
Probe intensity honestly - it protects both sides
Probe intensity honestly - it protects both sides
Cursor signals high pace on purpose. Asking what that means concretely - on-call load, typical timelines, how the team handles a 2B-event spike - isn't a red flag; it's how a senior person assesses fit. The red flag is needing the answer to be “nice and calm,” not asking the question.