How Do You Hire Differently When AI Flipped the 80/20 Rule? | Dub

What does it take to build a company culture where AI doesn't replace human connection — it deepens it?

In this episode of Notable Perspectives, Jen Holmstrom and Christina Pasanen sit down with Steven Wang, founder and CEO of Dub — the first regulated copy-trading platform in the U.S., on a mission to make investing more accessible by letting users learn from and follow real, proven portfolios. With over 1.5 million downloads, Dub is reshaping how everyday investors engage with the markets through transparency and alignment.

Steven dropped out of Harvard at 19 after selling a VR company and working at Apple to start Dub. Now backed by $47 million from Notable Capital, Neo, and investors including Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Robinhood co-founder Nathan Rodland, he’s building a team where AI adoption isn’t a perk — it’s the baseline.

Join us as we explore:

1. The 80/20 Flip: Why AI has eliminated 80% of the grunt work — and how every new hire at Dub is now evaluated entirely on the 20% that's uniquely human.
2. Expect First, Inspect After: How a first-time founder went from micromanaging like a tiger parent to building a trust-first culture — and why it changed everything.
3. The Extraction Playbook: From banning AI in interviews to taking candidates out for drinks, the unconventional hiring process behind one of fintech's fastest-growing teams.

Chapters

00:00 — Meet Stephen Wang: Building Dub and Democratizing Investing

01:15 — Creating an AI-First Culture Without Losing Human Connection

03:04 — How AI Creates More Time for Collaboration and Better Meetings

05:05 — Gen Z, AI, and the New Skills Companies Should Hire For

06:14 — Why Dub Requires In-Person Interviews and Team Building

07:27 — Automation vs. Hiring: Focusing Talent on the Most Human Work

08:45 — Management Lessons: From Micromanagement to Trust-First Leadership

10:24 — Rethinking College and Career Preparation in the AI Era

13:10 — Rapid Fire: Hiring Mistakes, Culture Fit, and Team Building

14:58 — Stephen's Interview Tactics: Getting Honest Answers from Candidates

16:00 — The Power of References, Backchannels, and Final Hiring Signals

16:27 — Closing Thoughts: Building Trust-First Cultures in the Age of AI