After interviewing at ~20 SF tech companies: what 'storyteller' actually means is still fuzzy
seanmcdonaldxyz · x · 2026-09-04
After going through hiring processes for storytelling roles across 20 San Francisco tech companies, the author's key takeaway:
- Tech broadly agrees storytelling matters, but still has a fuzzy idea of what the function actually is.
- The 'storyteller' title lumps together content creators, social media managers, comms, creative directors, brand strategists, and roles close to company strategy.
- Storytelling is often treated as downstream work — the company does something, then a storyteller explains it via a video or blogpost. Those artifacts matter, but they're only one layer.
- At its highest leverage, the author argues, storytelling goes well beyond content explanation and sits closer to company strategy.
The reposter jokes that winning The Moth becoming an s-tier hiring signal would be funny.
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