Founder Tip: Load up on intern energy and naivety. Today's interns are a question away from most knowledge thanks to LLMs, and they haven't yet learned that what you're asking them for is supposed to be impossible.
6:09 AM · Jun 29, 2026 · 18K Views
Groq founder Jonathan Ross argues startups should hire interns because LLMs let early-career talent bypass conventional technical limitations
Story Overview
Jonathan Ross, the Groq founder now at Nvidia, floats a practical hiring nudge for startup leaders: bring on interns who pair high energy with LLM shortcuts to knowledge, letting them chase ambitious ideas before they internalize what counts as impossible.
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Talent Strategy
LLMs Shrink the Experience Gap for Early Talent
Ross points out that interns today can query most technical context in seconds, freeing them to attempt stretch goals without the hesitation that often slows veterans.
Lab Insight
Student-Led Work Already Shines at Elite Labs
Replies from researchers note that some of DeepMind’s most cited projects came from students, with similar high-output patterns observed at places like Ai2 and certain Chinese labs, though the exact drivers remain anecdotal.
Sentiment
Many users are excited about hiring LLM-empowered interns at AI labs because their fresh energy, lack of ego, and hunger enable bold problem-solving without defending old methods.
Pos
83.3%
Neg
16.7%
6 comments with sentiment.
Cluster Engagement
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Most Activity
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VIEWS8.1KBOOKMARKS21LIKES92RETWEETS2REPLIES3
Nathan Lambert@natolambert
I feel like the Chinese labs I visited felt like this. It’s what Ai2 felt like. It’s the most reliable energy for making something amazing (even when you’re an underdog with the number of resources).
I’m always super excited to find my next star intern.
Jonathan Ross@JonathanRoss321
Founder Tip: Load up on intern energy and naivety. Today's interns are a question away from most knowledge thanks to LLMs, and they haven't yet learned that what you're asking them for is supposed to be impossible.
1hViews 8.1KLikes 92Bookmarks 21
Markus Wulfmeier@m_wulfmeier
Some of the most exciting and impactful research we did at @DeepMind was student-led!
In addition, it also became our most commonly published work for other reasons.... 😉
Great examples - and there are many more: @omgroth @natolambert @normandipalo @Wenxuan_Zhou @timseyde @samianholt @thsschmied
Jonathan Ross@JonathanRoss321
Founder Tip: Load up on intern energy and naivety. Today's interns are a question away from most knowledge thanks to LLMs, and they haven't yet learned that what you're asking them for is supposed to be impossible.
2hViews 1.1KLikes 7Bookmarks 3
Florian Brand@xeophon
@natolambert delete this tweet before more people realize this :(
the interns at prime are cooking so hard and i am always in awe
Nathan Lambert@natolambert
I feel like the Chinese labs I visited felt like this. It’s what Ai2 felt like. It’s the most reliable energy for making something amazing (even when you’re an underdog with the number of resources).
I’m always super excited to find my next star intern.
1hViews 289Likes 9Bookmarks 0
JJ@JosephJacks_
@JonathanRoss321 Yes.
3hViews 162
Spanky McDoob@59thProfile
@JonathanRoss321 I used to call this an “ai tax”. A tax you pay when you don’t know a damn thing. Now I think it’s been my biggest blessing. The last 30 years of computer science has been flagrantly wrong. led by people who like to go in small rooms to sniff their farts
4hViews 153
angel hernandez@angelll_4
@JonathanRoss321 the skill here is learning to ask why and not aiming to win
separating ego from ideas, so being wrong feels like learning rather than losing
4hViews 136
Craig Certo@craig_certo
@JonathanRoss321 Sometimes it’s better to just problem solve whatever you’re trying to do without worrying about whether others have tried it before
You might find out that you’ve done it the first time ever
22mViews 19
Dr. Xi Zeng@xiz25
@natolambert The intern-energy point feels right because the question box changed.
A junior person can now ask the model five dumb questions before interrupting anyone. The manager's job becomes choosing which weird branch is worth keeping.
43mViews 18
Ferbin@Ferbin08
@m_wulfmeier @omgroth @natolambert @normandipalo @Wenxuan_Zhou @timseyde no career risk, so no ego. they solve it instead of defending the old way.
1hViews 4
Henry Nguyen@henryhndev
@JonathanRoss321 The hard part isn’t answering the question—it’s shipping the right one. Channel that energy into rapid prototyping and let reality teach the constraints.
3hViews 4
V0LYX@0xV0LYX
@natolambert the best builders still have that "didnt know it was hard" look in their eyes
that hunger ages out way too fast to not grab it when u see it
1h