Hiring AI and engineering talent is one of the hardest challenges early-stage SaaS founders face right now. Many teams know they need “AI”, but far fewer understand what that actually means in practice, who they should hire first, or how to avoid expensive mistakes.

In this episode, Will Steward is joined by Jay Odeka, Director at Wunder Talent, to unpack what founders consistently get wrong when hiring engineering and AI roles. They explore the difference between building AI products versus building products that use AI, why job titles like AI engineer and ML engineer are often misunderstood, and how to think clearly about skills, impact, and stage-appropriate hires.

The conversation covers common hiring pitfalls such as unicorn job descriptions, overcomplicated interview processes, and hiring too senior or too specialised too early.

Jay also shares practical guidance on what genuinely strong AI and engineering candidates look like, how to design a fast and effective hiring process, and what actually attracts top technical talent away from big tech into early-stage SaaS.

If you are a SaaS founder, CTO, or operator hiring your first AI or engineering roles, this episode will help you make better decisions, move faster, and avoid costly mis-hires.