StartUp Hiring #15 Ben Mostafa - Engr to CTO in 10 years.
When Ben Mostafa joined MessageMedia, he didn’t know what a CTO was. By the time he left, he’d been one. Over nearly ten years, he helped grow the company through different phases of scale, infrastructure-heavy tech, product-led SaaS, major user growth, and acquisitions. Along the way, he hired ICs and engineering leaders, built high-performing teams, and adapted his own leadership style.What I like about Ben’s perspective is how grounded it is. He’s technical, thoughtful, and clearly values people who take ownership, ask questions, and work well in ambiguous environments. The throughline in everything Ben shared was ownership. Whether you’re a new engineer or a senior leader, the people who thrive in startups are the ones who take responsibility for outcomes — not just tasks. They run toward problems, not away from them. “Your job won’t be what it says on the tin. Startups need people who can pick things up, get curious, and figure it out.”-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to StartUp Hiring — the home of better hires, better businesses, and better jobs.If you’re building a team or thinking about joining one, you’re in the right place.This channel is for founders, operators, and curious job seekers who want to get hiring right. Not just fast hires, good ones. Not just dream jobs, real ones. We talk to the people who’ve done it: early-stage founders who’ve made high-stakes hires, candidates who’ve landed roles without ticking every box, and teams who’ve figured out what works (and what doesn’t).Why? Because hiring is the highest-leverage thing you’ll do. And bad hires are expensive in every way.We dig into the how. How people are getting hired, how founders are building small, sharp teams, and how AI is changing the whole thing. If you're trying to level up your hiring or career (without the fluff), hit subscribe.Good people want to work for good leaders. And like attracts like.So the best hires don’t come from a clever ad or a flashy employer brands, they come from great clarity, process and teamwork. For more 🎙 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://readstartuphiring.substack.com/ 🌐 Visit the website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonstartuphiring/🔗 Connect with Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonstartuphiring/ 📘 Join the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/startuphiringIn and amongst creating this sort of content, I still personally help businesses to hire through my Talent Consultancy, Crew Talent Advisory. So if you need to hire one person or a whole team, hit me up for a chat.I’ve been an in-house recruiter at Zendesk, MessageMedia and most recently at Cuttable. I’ve sat in the pods with teams doing the building, in interview rooms with hiring teams and on more video calls than I can remember.
