Ramp cofounder says he hired people who built businesses on Minecraft at 15 years old
Ramp co-CEO Eric Glyman explains that his company prioritizes hiring candidates with 'spikes'—unique, high-level skills often found in niche communities like Minecraft server management. The company favors 'proof of work' over traditional resumes to identify driven talent.
Why it matters
This reflects a growing trend in the tech industry to move away from traditional hiring metrics in favor of unconventional, project-based evidence of capability.
Ramp co-CEO Eric Glyman said he was interested in candidates with "spikes." Bloomberg/Getty Images Ramp co-CEO Eric Glyman said he hired a candidate because of their Minecraft business. "We're trying to meet people who were leaders in different bizarre fringe communities," Glyman said. Glyman also scouts candidates on GitHub and highly values an employee referral. Your Minecraft obsession could get you a job. Ramp co-CEO Eric Glyman shared how his fintech company finds its talent. He told David Senra that he looks for candidates with "spikes," or specific areas where they excel. For one group of Ramp employees, that spike was their ability to wield a digital pickaxe. When the employees were 15 years old, Glyman said they would spend 80 to 100 hours a week playing Minecraft . The group operated lucrative private Minecraft servers — a growing side hustle for Gen Zers.
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