
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth
The playbook for building high-talent-density teams | Adam Ward, Head of Talent at Cursor
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About this episode
Adam Ward is the Head of Talent at Cursor, one of the fastest-growing developer tools in history. Before joining Cursor, he founded Growth by Design, an independent recruiting and talent strategy firm that helped build teams at the most ambitious AI and technology companies in the world. Adam has spent more than 20 years building elite, high-talent-density teams across the industry and is widely regarded as one of the most effective and creative recruiters in tech. In our in-depth conversation, we discuss: 1. Inside today’s “tale of two cities” talent market 2. Why the traditional recruiting funnel—what Adam calls the “funnel of doom”—leads to mediocre hires 3. Adam’s three-step playbook:…