Use this fun and engaging interview question to hire exceptional employees for modern 0-25-stage companies.

By Tom Gibbons

Fractional Head of Product

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Published May 16, 2023


*This isn’t about The Clash.

This story isn’t about The Clash, the only band that matters. (Although Joe Strummer is a product genius, and I plan on writing about him in the future.)

Joe Strummer working at a tech company.

Joe Strummer working at a tech company. Midjourney: 30 year old joe strummer of the Clash standing in front of a dry erase board in a tech company office, wide shot, cinematic, Canon EOS R5 75mm, --ar 16:9


The Halcyon Days of 2014

I was introduced to the question almost 9 years ago by my good friend and colleague Rob Victor while building out the inaugural product & engineering teams at PebblePost.

One afternoon a younger guy showed up at our makeshift Soho office wearing a baja pullover and toting an oversized camping-style backpack.

Turns out he was interviewing for a junior Python dev spot – a hire that would make him employee #5. Rob brought him into a conference room for the interview and just twenty minutes later, a sad looking candidate shuffled out and fled to the elevator.

Jeff Spicoli, movie character and Baja wearer.

Jeff Spicoli, movie character and Baja wearer.