I am all in on Appcelerator - it’s victory or death for me and this company now. We’ll see which one it is.

But assuming it’s the former and not the latter, I really want to run a software company and build out one of the many world-changing ideas floating around in my head. And to do that I’ll need to build a team of engineers I want to work with. I’ve read a lot on the topic of hiring engineers, interview questions, and all of those things. I also see how other companies view themselves and the types of people they’re looking for: ninjas, gurus, rockstars. Engineers that ride in on a unicorn with a mane of purple fire, slinging code and rocking out features in days. Engineers that have a PhD in software engineering and have the Java 1.6 standard library APIs memorized.

I don’t know that I want to work with those types of people necessarily. I want to work with people that are curious, and willing to explore new ideas and technologies. I want people that are craftsmen, that measure twice and cut once. I want people that care about beauty, form, and design (programming interfaces or human interfaces, which are not so very different). I want people that are practical, and favor the simplest solution to a problem. I want people that speak their mind, but listen to what others have to say.

So I guess I’m not looking for a team of Picassos or Einsteins. I am looking for a team of Bob Villa’s or Mike Holmes’. Give me a team of careful craftsmen who appreciate clean lines smooth edges, and we will build something amazing.