It's anybody who you hire at your startup - until they leave and then all of the sudden they are C players. Because, if you only hire 'A players' and you have decided to hire John Doe #4 for some combination of skill, experience and vibe, then John Doe #4 is now an 'A player' by default until proven otherwise. And thus the myth continues - "We only hire A players."

It appears to be a reductive staffing methodology invented by this book: http://www.amazon.com/Topgrading-Leading-Companies-Coaching-...

The key points:

- Hire people who are awesome

- Fire people who aren't

The term A-player originated in the sports world a long, long time ago. It is literally a player of the sport who is considered A-grade material. This phrase, like many other from the sports world, has been adopted into the business lexicon.

First time I've heard the term, but I take it to be the sort of person who is brilliant enough that you hire them and then work out what to do with them.

I know a sporting example might not be overly popular on HN, but let me try! In the NBA draft, teams will choose between drafting to fill a need (e.g., they're weak at centre, so they'll draft the best big guy), or drafting the most talented player still available (e.g., a brilliant point guard even though they already have two).

In this hiring context, it's a bit like drafting on talent alone - take the "A Player" and worry about the details later. In the NBA example, this means trying to force a fit (shifting a SG to SF), trading them for things you do need (an elite SG for a decent big and a roleplayer), or rebuilding your team around them.

Michael Jordan was drafted third in 1984. The first pick (Olajuwon) was a top-tier talent but the second pick (Bowie) was a bit of a bust. Portland took Bowie ahead of Jordan because they already had Paxson and had recently drafted Drexler.