JAMU - hiring someone who scared me

The happy camper to my right above is Jakob Munter (JAMU). Jakob was the first employee I hired at what was then called Autonomous Mobility, now Holo.

He was introduced to me by Henrik Werdelin, whom I had met briefly in New York as he was getting started on Prehype. Henrik wrote, can I introduce you to my friend Jakob, he is obsessed with driverless cars and he really wants to work with you (well, with the company, but you get the idea). 

Jakob shows up to the interview, I don’t even think he sent a cv, and I did not ask at the time. He was my age, had been an entrepreneur, and a successful one at that

I remember thinking, this guy is either going to screw me later to take my job, or he is going to be an outstanding wingman. Literally, that is what was on my mind in the first few minutes of our meeting. During the interview, his honesty, integrity, and unbridled enthusiasm for our self-driving project quickly proved he would be an outstanding wingman. 

During our 3 ? years together Jakob did whatever it took, during the interview he had even offered to sweep the floors if needed. That is about the only thing he never did :-) We battled together, we faced regulators, managed suppliers, created partners, acquired customers, and hired people together. 

What hiring Jakob reminded me is that hiring someone you are a little bit afraid of. Someone who could just as easily have had your job can be a winning strategy. They do make the sum greater than the parts, you learn from them, and they make you better. And honestly, if they prove to truly be better than you at your job, they should have it. Jakob never made a play for my chair, he was loyal, semi-hard working :-), and helped me become a better CEO. We complemented each other well, and I look forward to working with him again somehow, somewhere, someday.

PS: there were/are many outstanding people at Holo. I will probably write a bit about a few more of them in the coming weeks. Reflecting publicly on what I saw in them and what lessons I have learned.