[IT Cafe] Upstage Takes a Year to Hire, CEO Sunghoon Kim Is a Developer to the Core

Key Developers from Naver, Rumors of 'Daum' Acquisition
Fully Remote Workforce, Developer-Centric Culture

Sunghoon Kim, CEO of Upstage

"Passing the CEO interview is as difficult as picking a star from the sky. Many candidates stumble at the final stage."

The "microscopic talent verification" process led by Sunghoon Kim, CEO of Upstage, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup, is a hot topic among developers. Upstage, which has its own large language model (LLM) called "Solar," was selected as one of the five national AI challenge teams and is considered a strong contender for the final selection.

Kim is a well-known figure among developers. Previously, he founded Kkachine and KkaebiMail, both well-known search engines, and later became a core developer at Naver Clova AI. He left Naver and founded Upstage in 2020. With his thorough developer DNA, he has taken the lead in establishing Upstage's unique development culture. Both Chief Technology Officer Lee Hwalseok and Chief Strategy Officer Park Eunjeong, who co-founded Upstage, also came from Naver. It is said that the departure of these three key developers at the time was a significant shock to Naver.

An Upstage representative said on the 22nd, "Because the interviews are conducted in multiple stages, departments in urgent need of new hires often face difficulties," adding, "The CEO thoroughly verifies not only the developer's skills but also whether they are a good fit for Upstage's unique corporate culture." During the interviews, candidates are subjected to in-depth questions about their research fields, and because the hiring process is multi-layered, it can take as little as six months or as long as a year to hire a single developer.

Despite the rigorous hiring process, there are many applicants interested in joining the company. All 150 employees work remotely. New hires receive a corporate card worth 5 million won (approximately $3,800) for purchasing office equipment such as computers, and a "welcome kit" is provided to new team members. The welcome kit includes books, a mat, and seeds-the mat symbolizes that "anywhere can be your office," and the seeds represent the hope that employees will maintain the startup spirit and nurture their aspirations.

Kim himself pursues a lifestyle unconstrained by physical space. As he oversees overseas operations in the United States and Japan, he does not maintain a permanent residence in Korea. While in Korea, he frequently travels between Seoul and Jeju, often staying in Airbnbs. It has been reported that as Kakao continues discussions with Upstage regarding the sale of AXZ, the operator of Daum, Kim's visits to Jeju have become even more frequent.

Upstage has set a goal of going public by the end of next year and earlier this month selected KB Securities and Mirae Asset Securities as its lead underwriters. The company's valuation is expected to reach at least 2 trillion won (approximately $1.5 billion).