A real startup hiring session: judgment, unicorns, and red flags

How can a fake job interview become the entry point for a multibillion-dollar crypto theft?Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson unpack the reported Binance incident, from synthetic job candidates and a disguised developer install to social engineering, blockchain tracing, and the limits of online hiring checks.What security check would you add to a remote job interview? Share your answer in the comments.Subscribe to Lost in Tech for honest conversations about tech careers, security, leadership, and the internet.Chapters00:00 The heist00:30 A $6.3B exchange theft01:08 Why crypto leaves a public trail02:30 The AI-generated candidate problem03:28 The fake job interview04:12 The install that hid itself05:09 The hack did not need the keys05:57 Wiping every computer06:26 Could hiring go back in person?07:32 The innocent-worker problem08:15 How frozen funds work09:09 Why stolen crypto leaves a trail10:45 Why the story disappeared11:17 Watch this spaceSource notesThis episode discusses early reports about the October 29, 2026 incident. Dollar totals are approximate and can change with valuation, reconciliation, and the reporting cutoff. Binance's November 3 initial findings reported about $6.34B impacted and about $2.85B frozen or intercepted as of that update. Chainalysis reported about $6.4B and about $2.8B frozen as of November 3. The hosts' on-air estimate of about $3.8B frozen is not presented here as confirmed.Binance official incident update (October 30, 2026):https://www.binance.com/en-GB/support/announcement/security-incident-update-2-2026-10-30-d3306d9dca5243548c813b605e1d1751Binance initial findings (November 3, 2026):https://www.binance.com/en-NG/blog/community/3229153443759566763Chainalysis latest findings (November 3, 2026):https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/binance-exploit-latest-findings-and-response/FBI attribution to North Korea's TraderTraitor activity (October 31, 2026):https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/alerts/2026/north-korea-responsible-for-6-billion-binance-attackLost in Tech with Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson.Episode 97.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yBListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185#Cybersecurity #Crypto #LostInTech

Why do AI companies attract billions while other founders must defend every number?Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson compare their fundraising experiences with the AI funding boom. They discuss high valuations, investor exits, bootstrapping, funding stages, and the cost of compute.What would you ask an investor before taking their money? Share your answer in the comments.Subscribe to Lost in Tech for honest conversations about tech careers, leadership, and building a business.Chapters00:00 Why funding feels like different rules02:03 The AI revenue and spending headlines06:07 When a high valuation becomes a trap07:41 What investors want from an exit10:15 The expectations on early founders10:58 Bootstrapping and the cost of outside money11:35 Seed funding and Series A13:59 How compute changes the funding equation14:53 Who funds venture capital firms?17:14 The Partiful example20:05 Different investors, different calculations22:37 Join the conversationSource notesThe OpenAI figures discussed are reported annualized revenue estimates, not revenue already earned. The FT reported a run rate approaching $50B versus an earlier reported figure of about $70B:https://www.ft.com/content/b66a9858-f8fb-46cb-b506-44bfe26fca2aReuters reported Anthropic's infrastructure commitments. The roughly $252B discussed combines reported Google, Amazon, and Microsoft obligations:https://www.reuters.com/business/anthropics-518-billion-ai-buildout-hinges-largely-deals-that-cannot-be-canceled-2026-09-29/The quoted Partiful post was a joke from 2023. Partiful now supports paid ticketing; the discussion should not be read as its current revenue plan:https://www.wired.com/story/partiful-is-putting-ticket-payments-on-its-platform/https://help.partiful.com/en-us/articles/15525293-can-i-sell-tickets-on-partifulLost in Tech with Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson.Episode 96.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yBListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185#StartupFunding #VentureCapital #LostInTech

Doing good work matters. But who knows what you can do?Lola and Mamuna discuss why waiting to be noticed can hold you back. They unpack self-advocacy at work, selling your ideas, and explaining why you are the right person for an opportunity.They also share how to handle rejection and the story of an engineer who discovered he could sell by having conversations.Subscribe to Lost in Tech for honest conversations about tech careers, leadership, and building a business.Chapters00:00 Lost in Tech01:20 Why sales feels like a dirty word02:28 You are already selling yourself03:37 Why good work does not speak for itself05:31 You still have to sell the sandwich06:39 Connect with the outcome you want08:14 A no is not a verdict on you08:49 When no means not now10:27 How your network opens doors11:10 The engineer who thought he could not sell13:23 Open the conversation, then pass it on14:03 Like, share, and subscribeLost in Tech with Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson.Episode 95.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yBListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185#TechCareers #CareerGrowth #LostInTech

What opportunity are you missing because you haven't asked?Lola and Mamuna discuss why asking for help, money, a job, or a raise can feel so uncomfortable. They share personal stories about family expectations, self-sufficiency, coaching, and making the next move as a founder.Then they turn the question around: what if it goes right?Subscribe to Lost in Tech for honest conversations about tech careers, leadership, and building a business.Chapters00:00 Lost in Tech00:21 The school of life01:02 Leaving the comfort zone02:22 Asking for help and money05:14 Shame, vulnerability, and courage07:27 Family messages about asking09:27 Coaching and limiting thoughts13:26 The LinkedIn posting confession14:40 Walk to the ledge or get pushed15:21 How will you feel if you never do it?16:30 Imagine success17:40 Prepare for good news20:03 Ask for the job, raise, or opportunity21:27 What's being built22:17 What ask are you avoiding?Lost in Tech with Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson.Episode 94.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yBListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185#TechCareers #CareerGrowth #LostInTech

Would you keep a brilliant engineer who makes the whole team worse?Lola and Mamuna discuss the choices that turn a founder's values into a real workplace. They cover fair pay, clear communication, team wellbeing, and the cost of keeping a talented but disengaged teammate.They also explore the difference between building a product and growing the people behind it.Subscribe to Lost in Tech for honest conversations about tech careers, leadership, and building a business.Chapters00:00 Lost in Tech00:26 A four-year refresh02:22 Walking the talk as a founder04:46 Fair pay and psychological safety07:22 Communication as care10:35 Building versus growing15:24 Small choices that build connection18:27 Retention, clients, and care20:41 The cost of penny-pinching on team wellbeing21:56 Hiring for aligned expectations23:10 Two kinds of difficult hires25:07 The brilliant teammate who drags down the team26:49 Why bad hires cost more than you think27:40 TakeawaysLost in Tech with Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson.Episode 93.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yBListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185#TechCareers #Leadership #LostInTech

How do you judge what to trust when every platform tells a different story?Mamuna and Lola discuss Jacob Coxon's departure from Anthropic and the reactions they saw on X and Threads. They connect that debate with everyday decisions about AI answers, online sources, and professional credibility.Then they turn to LinkedIn. What do hiring managers check beyond your CV? Do shared connections mean someone actually knows you? Can a human-written note still get mistaken for AI?Subscribe to Lost in Tech for honest conversations about AI and tech careers.Chapters00:00 Intro00:58 Jacob Coxon's AI warning05:57 Checking AI answers06:57 Different reactions on X and Threads11:18 Silo and the stories we tell about risk (spoilers)16:04 Lanterns detour17:54 Why this founder uses X20:06 X for work and personal decisions21:55 Why LinkedIn still matters25:21 What a hiring manager checks26:32 Do LinkedIn connections know each other?27:17 Your public comments tell a story28:15 Building visibility on a crowded platform32:12 Human writing mistaken for AI33:19 Closing thoughtsContextThe opening discussion refers to Jacob Coxon's September 2026 resignation and his concerns about advanced AI. The hosts' forecasts and reactions are opinions.Coxon's original post:https://x.com/hilbertspaess/status/2097476196791709843His subsequent interview:https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-researcher-quits-jacob-coxon-ai-fears-humanity/In that interview, Coxon distinguished Anthropic's current conduct from his concern about future competitive pressure. The conversation in this episode paraphrases his position.Spoiler warning: the Silo discussion begins around 11:18.More Lost in TechYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videosSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yBApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson discuss the highs, the lows, and the WTFs of working in tech.Send your tech questions to [email protected] or @LostInTechPod.#LostInTech #TechPodcast #LinkedIn #TechCareers #ArtificialIntelligence

Could one person build a company valued at $1 billion with AI doing the work? Mamuna and Lola compare that idea with their own experience building businesses.They discuss the time spent checking AI agents, a contract draft that repeated the same clause, and the gap between valuation and revenue. They also ask where human expertise still makes the difference.Chapters00:00 Intro00:52 The one-person AI unicorn02:43 Which jobs could AI do?06:46 Maintaining a team of AI agents08:53 Claude checks its own legal draft11:44 Digital businesses and AI influencers18:30 AGI hype and the escape story21:39 Valuation versus revenue23:42 When AI breaks the brand template27:00 Why expertise still mattersContext and clarificationAt 18m 30s: The hosts discuss a viewer's theory about the Hugging Face incident. That theory is speculation, not an established finding. OpenAI and Hugging Face published accounts of the July 2026 security incident:https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-incident-and-the-road-ahead/https://huggingface.co/blog/agent-intrusion-technical-timelineAt 22m 35s: Peter Steinberger announced that he was joining OpenAI and that OpenClaw would move to an independent foundation. His announcement did not disclose an acquisition price:https://steipete.me/posts/2026/openclawWatch: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videosFollow the show for more conversations about working and building in tech.

“I’m used to being able to tell when video is AI-generated. This was so good I gave it my like.”Lola thought she had found an inspiring fitness creator: a stylish Black woman in her 60s with natural hair, great glasses and age-appropriate advice. Then the kitchen changed. The shelf moved. The lighting jumped. The entire account was AI.She and Mamuna follow the trail from hyper-real Instagram influencers to LinkedIn’s “AI slop” button and the bigger problem underneath it all: credible publishers are restricting AI crawlers while more of the open web is itself being generated by AI. What happens when AI answers are increasingly built from other AI answers—and people are making health, career and business decisions from them?Inside: the 69-year-old fitness account with flags that changed in every reel, a creator A/B testing political symbols for engagement, why every social feed is starting to look and sound the same, fake citations and fake links, and the case for paying trusted human publishers again.🎯 Chapters00:00 Intro00:26 Back home01:04 The Instagram accounts that vanished02:06 The 60-year-old fitness influencer03:20 The entire account was AI04:27 The 69-year-old with changing flags05:18 A/B testing politics for clicks05:57 When fake content becomes indistinguishable07:25 LinkedIn fights “AI slop”08:41 AI is warping reality09:08 Credible sites block AI crawlers10:04 The AI-to-AI internet loop11:18 When people follow synthetic advice12:41 Ask for the sources13:13 Where the risk becomes serious14:20 It is already fooling us14:42 Why trusted human sources matter again16:41 Outro🔗 Discussed in this episode:• LinkedIn adds an “AI slop” reporting option: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/linkedin-adds-a-button-to-report-ai-generated-slop/• Pew Research Center on AI-authored pages: https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/08/20/how-much-of-the-internet-is-written-with-ai/• The rise of AI fitness influencers: https://lindywell.com/blog/ai-influencers/🎧 Watch / listen to Lost in Tech:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videos🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yB🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185🎙️ Lost in Tech. Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Pearson have a combined 35 years in the tech scene across North America and Europe. We talk the highs, the lows, and the WTFs of navigating the technology industry.📲 Follow: YouTube: @LostInTechPodcast Twitter: @LostInTechPod DMs welcome, send us your tech questions#LostInTech #TechPodcast #AIInfluencer #AISlop #Instagram #LinkedIn #ArtificialIntelligence #TechCareers #WomenInTech #BlackWomenInTech

“You’re going to demand I come back into the office—and you can’t tell me why we exist?”Lola and Mamuna are both building companies, and both are wrestling with the same uncomfortable question: after years of criticizing other leaders, can they actually walk the talk themselves? They get honest about ruthless prioritization, the difference between founder commitment and employee responsibility, and the moment people stop believing in a leader’s decisions.Then they get into the research linking return-to-office mandates with narcissistic leadership. If the mission is unclear and productivity is not the real reason, what is the office mandate actually for?Inside: the founder’s split brain, why your team should not care like it is their family’s money, how repetition turns a mission into a decision-making tool, what Capital One got right, Grace Beverley’s miscarriage-leave policy at TALA, and why employee churn is far more expensive than one salary.🎯 Chapters00:00 Intro00:26 The founder’s split brain02:05 Watching people use the product03:06 The work only a founder can do04:06 Walk the talk05:48 Employees do not own the company07:21 Why people stop believing in leaders09:39 Communicating the business, not just the product12:29 Repetition wins15:04 What Capital One got right19:24 Grace Beverley and miscarriage leave24:37 The return-to-office problem26:36 The narcissism research29:18 When an office is actually useful32:03 When too much money hides bad leadership34:34 Walk the talk34:52 Outro🔗 Discussed in this episode:• Return-to-office and leadership ego: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/opinion/the-secret-reason-bosses-want-everyone-back-in-the-office-every-day-of-the-week/• The underlying research: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2026.104496• Grace Beverley on miscarriage, leadership and TALA: https://www.tapesearch.com/episode/grace-beverley-what-i-ve-learnt-from-building-tala-overcoming-burnout/ZZSctA83Fv8YF2Z6QenXhK🎧 Watch / listen to Lost in Tech:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videos🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73ZrqFocQsIqNCz32YC1yB🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185🎙️ Lost in Tech. Mamuna Oladipo & Lola Pearson have a combined 35 years in the tech scene across North America and Europe. We talk the highs, the lows, and the WTFs of navigating the technology industry.📲 Follow: YouTube: @LostInTechPodcast Twitter: @LostInTechPod DMs welcome, send us your tech questions#LostInTech #TechPodcast #RemoteWork #ReturnToOffice #Leadership #StartupFounder #TechCareers #WomenInTech #BlackWomenInTech

Someone may be paying $2,000 to ask about you.Both hosts keep getting approached by research firms — with a brief and a budget — for detailed conversations about people they used to work with, now heading into public-company roles or raising money. This week they open that up, and it raises one uncomfortable question for everyone in tech: are you a good person, and what surfaces when someone pays to find out?Inside: why researchers skip your superfans and call everyone else, the best-case and worst-case findings, leaders who wear a bad reputation like a badge of honour, whether doing layoffs makes you a bad person (and the version that does), a mistake owned and recovered from, and the PR exec who tweeted before a 12-hour flight and landed already fired.Watch the video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostInTechPodcast/videosAlso on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lost-in-tech/id1738267185Lost in Tech is Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Pearson — a combined 35 years in tech across North America and Europe, on the highs, the lows, and the WTFs of navigating the industry. Send your tech questions: [email protected].