Josh Luber

And sure, there's equity and maybe you'll make some more money, but it's truly about, at that point, it's truly about lifestyle. And you ask people that live that lifestyle, it's rough, it's hard. It is grueling and everything, every bad trope you've heard about startup life and bureaucracy and politics, that's that.

And sure, there's equity and maybe you'll make some more money, but it's truly about, at that point, it's truly about lifestyle. And you ask people that live that lifestyle, it's rough, it's hard. It is grueling and everything, every bad trope you've heard about startup life and bureaucracy and politics, that's that.

That's what you're paying for and that's why you get paid that because those companies need every great engineer that exists. And so that's the extreme.

That's what you're paying for and that's why you get paid that because those companies need every great engineer that exists. And so that's the extreme.

but that's the conversation you're having with every person as you're you're convincing them to come work with you it says hey yeah i know you can make a little bit more over here but you are now going to have all this autonomy to do great work and and to do it on your own and we can go down this path but i found that more than anything Like great people, they wanna be able to do great work.

but that's the conversation you're having with every person as you're you're convincing them to come work with you it says hey yeah i know you can make a little bit more over here but you are now going to have all this autonomy to do great work and and to do it on your own and we can go down this path but i found that more than anything Like great people, they wanna be able to do great work.

And at the end of the day, a difference of 10 or 15% dollars one way or another, they would much rather have the autonomy every day coming into work, do great work, as opposed to being micromanaged or being constrained by budgets or plans or whatever like that. So anyway, that's the conversation that you have with people.

And at the end of the day, a difference of 10 or 15% dollars one way or another, they would much rather have the autonomy every day coming into work, do great work, as opposed to being micromanaged or being constrained by budgets or plans or whatever like that. So anyway, that's the conversation that you have with people.

And by the way, I spent six years where all I did was try to convince people to move to Detroit to come work for StockX. Now post pandemic, that's all a little bit different, But at the time it was important for everyone to be together because that's how we were able to have that environment to be able to do great work.

And by the way, I spent six years where all I did was try to convince people to move to Detroit to come work for StockX. Now post pandemic, that's all a little bit different, But at the time it was important for everyone to be together because that's how we were able to have that environment to be able to do great work.

You know, what's interesting about now being the founder of StockX and meeting people. I mean, I, you know, we're here in L.A. because I'm speaking at USC Business School later today. Last week I spoke at Emory Business School and at Georgia Tech. And every time I speak at a school, there's a line of people afterwards, and they are not there to take pictures.

You know, what's interesting about now being the founder of StockX and meeting people. I mean, I, you know, we're here in L.A. because I'm speaking at USC Business School later today. Last week I spoke at Emory Business School and at Georgia Tech. And every time I speak at a school, there's a line of people afterwards, and they are not there to take pictures.

They're there to tell me, hey, I made my first $10 selling sneakers on StockX. Or I'm paying for my education because I was flipping sneakers in high school. Like 90% of them are. That is awesome. That is the coolest thing.

They're there to tell me, hey, I made my first $10 selling sneakers on StockX. Or I'm paying for my education because I was flipping sneakers in high school. Like 90% of them are. That is awesome. That is the coolest thing.

We actually, at StockX, we created what we called StockX Day in our second year, where all we did was just invite people to come, our top customers, mainly our top sellers, to come to StockX to be able to have that conversation with everybody.

We actually, at StockX, we created what we called StockX Day in our second year, where all we did was just invite people to come, our top customers, mainly our top sellers, to come to StockX to be able to have that conversation with everybody.

It was going on well before StockX, but StockX, those companies that made it so easy to sell, and we can go down that path if you like, that's what the real business of StockX was, to make it as easy to sell a pair of sneakers as it is to buy, and that enabled it to become an industry because it became so much easier for everyone to be able to sell sneakers.

It was going on well before StockX, but StockX, those companies that made it so easy to sell, and we can go down that path if you like, that's what the real business of StockX was, to make it as easy to sell a pair of sneakers as it is to buy, and that enabled it to become an industry because it became so much easier for everyone to be able to sell sneakers.

And look, people love sneakers, but most people there, to your point, are some form of a small business. Right. They are there because they can either buy or sell on one side or the other. Because you can buy sneakers at StockX. You can buy them on eBay. You can buy them in a million other places, right?

And look, people love sneakers, but most people there, to your point, are some form of a small business. Right. They are there because they can either buy or sell on one side or the other. Because you can buy sneakers at StockX. You can buy them on eBay. You can buy them in a million other places, right?