In the 20VC podcast, the Legora CEO reveals the question he always asks his applicants and what the answer says about mentality and attitude.
Anyone applying to this Stockholm startup is in for an exciting time, says its CEO: In an episode of Harry Stebbings’ podcast The Twenty Minute VC (20VC), Max Junestrand, CEO of the $2 billion legal AI startup Legora, reveals an interview question he asks applicants to assess their cultural fit.
“I still interview all the applicants and ask them pretty brutal questions like, ‘Why are you taking such a difficult job? You could work somewhere else,'” Junestrand said.
The Swedish startup competes with San Francisco-based Harvey, which is valued at $8 billion.
The goal: think long-term
“I’m trying to create missionaries, not mercenaries,” Junestrand said, referencing an analogy coined years ago by venture capitalist John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins. “And I think we succeeded in doing that.”
At the time, Doerr explained that mercenaries work for themselves and create companies to sell, while missionaries focus on working for a team and thinking long-term.
Hustler mentality
Legora’s CEO, who co-founded the 2023 startup, said he is looking for people with “raw determination” who don’t mind working long hours. He said his employees had dinner in the office at 8 p.m. and the company signed contracts on New Year’s Eve.
The company’s Christmas dinner featured mulled wine – and KPIs. “We had the big revenue dashboard in front of us and everyone was looking at it because everyone wants momentum,” he said.
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Legora has 300 employees and plans to double the size of the team in the first half of 2026. A Legora representative told Business Insider that the company’s headcount has doubled in the last six months.
