Key Takeaways

  • Jun Song Park, co-founder and CEO of AI simulation company Simily, builds high-performing research and product teams by identifying specific, non-obvious traits.
  • He prioritizes individuals who consistently act as the “common denominator of success” in their past roles, demonstrating extreme ownership and a knack for reinventing themselves to ensure outcomes.
  • Park looks for leaders with "two contradictory superpowers" — a rare blend of opposing traits, like a deeply data-rigorous CMO who also possesses creative artistry, which drives unique innovation.
  • This hiring philosophy helps Simily proactively fill skill gaps and create resilient teams capable of pushing the boundaries of AI, aiming to become the "GPU of intelligence."
  • Park's precise methodology for spotting this caliber of talent is captured in his “Two Core Principles for Building a Great Team.”

The Jun Song Park's Two Core Principles for Building a Great Team

Principle 1: Common Denominator of Success: People live through different stages in their life and they have different careers, different jobs. At each stage of their life, were they the reason why that thing was successful? If you squint, were they the common denominator? If the answer is yes, then what that suggests is a of things, that they have extreme degree of ownership, that they are the kind of people who come in and say, 'Doesn't matter how everything else goes, I will personally make this successful.' It It also shows the ability to reinvent themselves.

Principle 2: Two Contradictory Superpowers: Do my leaders and my team have two superpowers that's not supposed to coexist in one person? Any expert will usually come in with one superpower, or even sometimes multiple superpowers, but they're all correlated... Where I found things to be particularly compelling is if people have two superpowers that's really contradictory.

When This Works (and When It Doesn't)

This framework helps identify individuals who embody extreme ownership, adaptability, and a rare blend of seemingly opposing yet powerful traits (e.g., data-rigorous and creative artistry, or short-term paranoid and long-term religious belief in success) essential for building resilient and innovative teams that reflect the founder's core values. Jun Song Park suggests these principles are crucial for balancing the team and seeing “where your team is lacking, especially as we scale, the or new gaps that are emerging. Actually seeing that ahead of time and making sure that we fill those gaps, I do think it's a core fundamentals of building a great team.”

However, this approach sets a high bar. For early-stage startups, it might be challenging to find candidates with a long enough track record to definitively prove they are a "common denominator of success" across multiple distinct roles. Furthermore, while the pursuit of contradictory superpowers can yield exceptional talent, it also risks overlooking highly competent individuals who excel in a focused, specialized area without possessing these unique opposing traits. This framework is best applied to key leadership roles where broad impact and adaptive problem-solving are non-negotiable.

What to Do With This

Pull your last three interview scorecards for a leadership hire, especially for AI or product roles. Now, use Park's framework to re-evaluate how you're assessing candidates. To test for the Common Denominator of Success, ask: "Describe a project that struggled significantly, and what you, personally, did to ensure its success, regardless of external factors." Look for detailed accounts of individual accountability and creative problem-solving, not just team contributions. Then, to identify Two Contradictory Superpowers, probe for dualistic strengths. If hiring a Head of AI Product, ask: "Tell me about a time your deep technical conviction conflicted directly with user research or market feedback. How did you reconcile those opposing perspectives to move forward?" Listen for evidence of both technical depth and customer empathy, or strategic vision coupled with a relentless focus on execution details. This specific line of questioning will filter for the rare individuals who truly drive results.