Keith Yandell
BD & Corporate Development Leader at DoorDash
Keith Yandell has been at DoorDash for about seven years, leading the legal, HR, marketing, customer support, and currently the BD and corporate development teams. Before DoorDash, he led litigation at Uber. He is known for the company's no-politics, no-asshole culture and radical directness in hiring.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Keith Yandell shares how DoorDash built its no-politics, no-asshole culture through radical directness — including the time he asked a VP of engineering candidate 'Are you an asshole?' in a dinner meeting, which paradoxically convinced the candidate to join because DoorDash was willing to walk away from a qualified hire over culture fit. He also reveals DoorDash's near-death survival story, with weeks of runway and every investor saying no, saved only by founder Tony Xu's relentless drive.
Leadership Principles
- → If you really enjoy a candidate except for a culture concern, give them direct feedback and see how they engage — that tells you everything
- → It only takes one yes — keep going even when everyone says no and you have weeks of runway left
- → Willingness to walk away from a qualified hire who doesn't meet the culture bar is what convinces great people to join
Notable Quotes
"After interviewing him, I went to Tony Xu and said, 'Tony, I think this guy's a jerk.' Tony said, 'Keith, have dinner with him. If you still think he's a jerk, we won't hire.' At dinner I asked, 'Are you an asshole?' His response completely changed my perspective."
— On the story of how radical directness in culture interviews led to hiring their VP of engineering
"We were weeks of runway situation and had been told no by everyone. It's just the difference between a founder and a non-founder. If you're really a founder, you just have to find a way. It only takes one yes."
— On DoorDash's near-death experience and founder persistence
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