First Block: Interview with Brendan Foody, Co-Founder & CEO of Mercor

In this episode of First Block, Brendan Foody, co-founder and CEO of Mercor, shares his entrepreneurial journey, from selling donuts in middle school to building a successful software company for recruiting. He emphasizes the importance of solving a problem one is obsessed with, maintaining high standards when hiring the first ten employees, and viewing fundraising as an input to building valuable products. Foody discusses Mercor's rapid growth, its focus on automating repetitive hiring processes using AI, and its mission to eliminate bias in talent allocation. He also shares insights on scaling company culture, the challenges of rapid growth, and the importance of long-term vision.