The vice president of sales at the high-flying AI startup ElevenLabs explicitly warns job candidates that the company is "extremely difficult" to work for before they accept an offer. Carles Reina, the firm's fourth employee, stated that this upfront approach about long hours and high expectations helps filter applicants and has resulted in fewer staff departures.
Speaking on the "20VC" podcast, Reina outlined a culture of "full commitment" where employees are expected to work a "huge amount of hours." He detailed a direct link between compensation and sales performance, citing an example where a $100,000 annual salary would come with a $2 million sales quota. "If you don't achieve your quota, then you're going to be out, right?" Reina said. "And we're ruthless on that end."
Rapid Growth and Cultural Concerns
The London-founded AI voice cloning company, which was valued at $11 billion after a $500 million Series D funding round in February, is in a phase of aggressive expansion. As of November, it had 350 employees, according to investor Andreessen Horowitz. Reina's sales team alone plans to nearly double its headcount by hiring 120 more employees this year.
This rapid growth brings concerns about diluting the company's hard-driving culture. Reina emphasised that being transparent about expectations from the outset is crucial to maintaining standards. "If you're not upfront about the expectation, I think you end up diluting because people come with different expectations," he explained.
European Startups Embracing a Demanding Ethos
This rigorous hiring philosophy echoes tactics used by other European startups aiming to build dedicated teams. Max Junestrand, CEO of Swedish legal tech firm Legora, stated in a January podcast that he asks "brutal questions" to gauge a candidate's willingness to take on a hard job, aiming to create "missionaries, not mercenaries."
These companies are part of a new wave of European startups challenging the region's traditional reputation for prioritising work-life balance over aggressive growth, often facing investor skepticism compared to their American counterparts.
The explicit warning from ElevenLabs leadership highlights a deliberate strategy to attract and retain employees aligned with a high-pressure, performance-driven environment, even as the company scales rapidly following its latest multi-billion dollar valuation.