This past week, I received a Facebook message from someone looking to hire software engineers for a startup. The person noticed I’m in computing and was hoping that I would have a referral in my network. The incentive… $10k!

I’ve heard that startups in the Valley have been really concerned with hiring the best people and this really put it into perspective for me. Here was a company, willing to offer me - someone unrelated to them - $10,000 for connecting them to a new hire.

My first reaction after doing a double take on the amount was… what do the investors think about this strategy? My general impression of startups is that they’re more frugal, but then again, who can put a price tag on good talent? Increasingly, there are so many growing startups, but the supply of potential great employees is limited. Looks like companies aren’t just recruiting at tech events. Reminds me of the boom in 2000, maybe it’s back?