--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd rather interview fifty people and not…" description: "\"“I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.”\" — Jeff Bezos" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg" --- # I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than… ![“I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.” quote by Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg) > ““I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.”” [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hiring the wrong person is more costly than a prolonged search. **In simple terms:** Better to wait than hire poorly. Key Takeaway Prioritize fit over speed. Themes recruitment risk management quality hiring Mood pragmatic strategic Type advisory business When to use this quote - startup hiring - executive search - team expansion Key Concepts cost of bad hire long‑term impact Questions to Reflect On - What criteria matter most in hiring? - How do you assess cultural fit? A Different Perspective Rushing can lead to cultural misfit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hire Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hire-wrong-1405501/) [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Interview People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview-people-617690/) [People Hire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-hire/) [Wrong person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-person/) ## Related quotes > [I’d rather interview 50 people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-d-rather-interview-50-people-and-not-hire-anyone-than-hire-the/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [I always have an idea before we even start the movie because if you hire the wrong person, within a couple of days you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-always-have-an-idea-before-we-even-start-the-movie-because-if-you/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [It's what Kitty Carlisle said in her book: Don't interview people about what they do, interview them about what they love. I want my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/it-s-what-kitty-carlisle-said-in-her-book-don-t-interview-people/) [Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/) > [I'm not a go-in-for-the-kill kind of interviewer. It's a great thing to me, that kind of interviewer, but I'm not it. It doesn't play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-not-a-go-in-for-the-kill-kind-of-interviewer-it-s-a-great-thing/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [If you interview people or friends who work with me, they would say I'm private or internal or don't emote a lot. Yet I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-kelley/if-you-interview-people-or-friends-who-work-with-me-they-would-say-i/) [David E. Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-kelley/) > [It is frustrating when in an interview people say: 'Give us your make-up tips' and 'How do you stay skinny?' I think: 'Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/it-is-frustrating-when-in-an-interview-people-say-give-us-your-make/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [I never want to make people upset, but sometimes we may. When I interview people, I try to make it clear that our obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-never-want-to-make-people-upset-but-sometimes-we-may-when-i/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [If I interview people, I would get to know many lives and experiences that I haven't been through myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/choi-minho/if-i-interview-people-i-would-get-to-know-many-lives-and-experiences/) [Choi Minho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/choi-minho/) > [When I interview people that want to work with us, I often disregard their resume, because a piece of paper, it doesn't tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-crenn/when-i-interview-people-that-want-to-work-with-us-i-often-disregard/) [Dominique Crenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-crenn/) > [We wanted to interview people on the show, do variety, get the artists, the guests involved with us in our group. They wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-jones/we-wanted-to-interview-people-on-the-show-do-variety-get-the-artists/) [Davy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-jones/) > [The cost of getting an early hire wrong is really high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-cost-of-getting-an-early-hire-wrong-is-really-high/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [As a journalist, you don't tend to interview people with a view to becoming their friend. You can't expect that. It's not professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/as-a-journalist-you-don-t-tend-to-interview-people-with-a-view-to/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [ One of the most important skills at \[reporting\] is not so much what comes out of your mouth but what you hear. To listen.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-holt/one-of-the-most-important-skills-at-reporting-is-not-so-much-what/) [Lester Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-holt/) > [The problem with being a journalist is you go places and you're working. You don't get to appreciate everything. But I got enough of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-holt/the-problem-with-being-a-journalist-is-you-go-places-and-you-re/) [Lester Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-holt/) > [I'm a writer, so I interview people all the time, and I think of it as being a very creative process. Giving interviews is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-m-a-writer-so-i-interview-people-all-the-time-and-i-think-of-it-as/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) ## More by Jeff Bezos > [I think technology advanced faster than anticipated. In that whirlwind, a lot of companies didn't survive. The reason we have done well is because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-think-technology-advanced-faster-than-anticipated-in-that-whirlwind/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [The death knell for any enterprise is to glorify the past -- no matter how good it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/the-death-knell-for-any-enterprise-is-to-glorify-the-past-no-matter/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [People who are right most of the time are people who change their minds often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/people-who-are-right-most-of-the-time-are-people-who-change-their/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [The human brain is an incredible pattern-matching machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/the-human-brain-is-an-incredible-pattern-matching-machine/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [Work hard, have fun and make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/work-hard-have-fun-and-make-history/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [If you can't tolerate critics, don't do anything new or interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-can-t-tolerate-critics-don-t-do-anything-new-or-interesting/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [If you can't feed a team with two pizzas, it's too large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-can-t-feed-a-team-with-two-pizzas-it-s-too-large/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [We also have no incentive compensation of any kind. And the reason we don’t is because it is detrimental to teamwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/we-also-have-no-incentive-compensation-of-any-kind-and-the-reason-we/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [If you build a great product or service, people will talk about it. But it starts with having something that's worth talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-build-a-great-product-or-service-people-will-talk-about-it-but/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [I think the definition of a book is changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-think-the-definition-of-a-book-is-changing/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [We're not competitor obsessed, we're customer obsessed. We start with the customer and we work backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/we-re-not-competitor-obsessed-we-re-customer-obsessed-we-start-with/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [If you're truly obsessed over customers, it'll cover a lot of errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-re-truly-obsessed-over-customers-it-ll-cover-a-lot-of-errors/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [One of the things that I'm very excited about with New Shepard, which is our suborbital tourism vehicle, is using that to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/one-of-the-things-that-i-m-very-excited-about-with-new-shepard-which/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [I wouldn't be surprised if history records Tim Berners-Lee as the second Gutenberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-wouldn-t-be-surprised-if-history-records-tim-berners-lee-as-the/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [Maintain a firm grasp of the obvious at all times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/maintain-a-firm-grasp-of-the-obvious-at-all-times/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) [Explore all 275 Jeff Bezos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) ## More Interview quotes > [On my podcast, I got to interview Will Ferrell, Sam Hunt, Colin Cowherd - all these different names - and it was just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-darnold/on-my-podcast-i-got-to-interview-will-ferrell-sam-hunt-colin-cowherd/) [Sam Darnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-darnold/) > [If you're going for an interview, you will dress smartly and look the part, that is absolutely fine, but it's just the level to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-swinson/if-you-re-going-for-an-interview-you-will-dress-smartly-and-look-the/) [Jo Swinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-swinson/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [I'm not really a big fan of doing interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-m-not-really-a-big-fan-of-doing-interviews/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am really bad at actually interviewing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/i-am-really-bad-at-actually-interviewing-people/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) > [I never do formal interviews. I don't use a tape recorder. I take notes but occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-never-do-formal-interviews-i-don-t-use-a-tape-recorder-i-take-notes/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“Who is this man I’m supposed to interview, this man whose last name is the same as the color of my sweatpants? Is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/who-is-this-man-i-m-supposed-to-interview-this-man-whose-last-name-is/) [Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/) > [When you're interviewing someone, you're in control. When you're being interviewed, you think you're in control, but you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/when-you-re-interviewing-someone-you-re-in-control-when-you-re-being/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [I do interview senior candidates at the home office or many of our hotel or restaurant General Manager candidates. My two favorite questions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/i-do-interview-senior-candidates-at-the-home-office-or-many-of-our/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [I'm very quiet. I can go a whole week without talking, so doing interviews is really awkward for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-leung/i-m-very-quiet-i-can-go-a-whole-week-without-talking-so-doing/) [Katie Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-leung/) > [I'm actively trying to get away from the over-exposure that happened eight years ago. The only thing a celebrity can do in one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/i-m-actively-trying-to-get-away-from-the-over-exposure-that-happened/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [At first, when my agent told me, 'They want you to do an interview, a piece for '60 Minutes,' I was like, 'What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-antetokounmpo/at-first-when-my-agent-told-me-they-want-you-to-do-an-interview-a/) [Giannis Antetokounmpo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-antetokounmpo/) > [I remember I heard it in an interview with Michael Jackson one day, saying the art is gone, everybody makes records just to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-remember-i-heard-it-in-an-interview-with-michael-jackson-one-day/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) [Browse all 1,078 Interview quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeff Bezos" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-not-hire-anyone-than-hire-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Interview" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-not-hire-anyone-than-hire-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/jeff-bezos-1193_interview_i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-no_1579824.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.” — Jeff Bezos", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeff Bezos", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I'd rather interview fifty people and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-not-hire-anyone-than-hire-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-d-rather-interview-fifty-people-and-not-hire-anyone-than-hire-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```