• Garima Shah, founder of Biller Genie, aims to have six-and-a-half-minute job interviews.
• Her interview process focuses on three questions to assess if a candidate is a cultural fit.
• Shah said a person’s ability is shown through their résumé, the screening call, and the assessment.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Garima Shah, the Orlando-based founder and president of Biller Genie, a B2B SaaS company. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve been in Fintech for over 20 years.

When I first started in business, I worked in outside sales, and I was very young. It was high turnover, high commitment, and commission-only. At one point, my manager went on maternity leave, and she left me, a really inexperienced 19-year-old, to run the company.

When I was running sales teams, I conducted 30 to 40 interviews a day. She taught me to look for some very basic things, like: Did they make eye contact? Did they shake my hand? Can they answer a question? Do they know the basics?

Now, I do anywhere from 15 to 20 a week at Biller Genie, the B2B SaaS platforming company I cofounded five years ago. I have a lot of experience doing interviews, and that helps me a lot. I know what I’m looking for — I’m looking for that immediate click.

I’m aiming for a 6.5-minute interview

When I interview candidates, we’ve already screened their résumé, looked at their LinkedIn, and conducted a screening call. We know they have the basic skills needed for this job. So, when people come in to meet with me, I’m not looking for their ability. I’m looking for their desire and to see if they’re going to be a good cultural fit. Do we vibe? Do you understand what I’m asking you? Can you keep up?

We scheduled the interview for 15 minutes. I’m usually done in well under 10 minutes, so it’s about six minutes.

I usually ask three questions in succession. I’ll say, “This is going to be a quick first interview to get to know you and see if there’s a potential, mutual fit.”

First, I ask them about what they’ve done in the past and what they’re looking for. Some people will go on for 20 minutes about what they’ve done. I’m like, stop — just give me the most important things. Then I’ll ask them to describe their ideal role. I want everyone operating in their zone of genius. To do that, I need to know not just the role they want, but the day-to-day tasks they’re excited to do.

The last question is about what they know about Biller Genie. That one’s also important because often, people come in who have absolutely no idea what we do or how they would fit in.

I talk fast generally, but I talk a lot faster during interviews. We’re a fast-moving company and I’m looking for people who can keep up. Can you think on your feet? Can you give me concise answers? Can you get to the point? All of those things are important, and it might not be right for everybody, but that’s part of our culture.

First interviews are like first dates

The way I look at it is this: You’re going to be on your best behavior during the interview. It’s like a first date. You have all the makeup on, and your hair is all good. That’s how you are on the date, but that may not be who you are after that. I’m not going to know that, and you’re not going to show me that during the interview process. So if we seem like it’s a good fit, why not take a chance on each other and see what happens?

Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but I’m looking for that vibe check, and I’m generally pretty good at it.

The interview I just described is my first interview with someone. If it’s an executive-level role, they’re going to do more than one interview, and they’re probably going to do some shadowing and spend time with the rest of the team. If they’re managerial, they’re probably given two assessments.

Generally though, if they seem like they’re a good fit, I do a skills test and send them some type of assessment. For example, if the role is in support, we’re going to send them a demo, and they’ll have to review that product and tell us a little about it. We’re looking at how quickly they finish it and if they seem like they understand it.

I don’t have the resources for a lengthy interview process. We’re a small company. If you’re applying for a managerial or executive level position, I think that makes sense. Those people are going to be managing and leading people from day one.

In general, though, we get hundreds of job applicants, and usually, we can screen out at least 50% before they even speak to anybody. After the screening call, you’re left with such a small pool that you should be decisive enough to find those who seem to be a good fit.

• Domino’s unveiled its brand refresh on Wednesday, featuring a new slogan, jingle, and packaging.
• The overhaul, more than 20 months in the making, is Domino’s first brand refresh in 13 years.
• Domino’s CMO told Business Insider the changes come from a place of strength compared to other brands.

Thirteen years after its last brand update, Domino’s Pizza is proving that even a category leader can’t afford to coast.

Domino’s, the world’s largest pizza chain by annual sales and stores, unveiled a rebrand on Wednesday.

CMO Kate Trumbull told Business Insider that the refresh — 20 months in the making and complete with a new logo, jingle, and packaging — reflects a philosophy she sums up simply: “There’s risk in doing nothing.”

“Some brands have to do these things when they’re struggling, and we wanted to launch a refresh from a place of strength,” Trumbull said. “There is risk, certainly, to doing anything, but there’s a lot of risk to doing nothing. And I think if you’re stuck or refusing to change because you’re in a place of fear, I don’t think you’ll innovate.”

Domino’s new look features a new font and brighter red and blue colors on its packaging, a jingle, “Dommmino’s,” recorded by hip-hop star Shaboozey, and new gear for in-store employees to wear.

The company understands the risks of a massive aesthetic overhaul and is learning from the lessons of failed initiatives from other brands, Trumbull said. That means Domino’s is rolling out its changes after conducting extensive market research. It plans to announce further changes — such as store refreshes or new menu items — after gauging the success of the initial launch.

Domino’s said its initial market research found customers preferred the refreshed branding over its existing look, and that the rebrand significantly improved consumers’ perceptions of the brand as more vibrant, bold, fun, playful, and modern.

“In terms of changing our stores right now, our plan is to have this refresh inspire our future,” Trumbull said. “There’ll be a lot more to come in the coming months, both here in the US and globally, but we didn’t want to hold it back any longer.”

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of the strategic design agency, Shikatani Lacroix Design, told Business Insider that Domino’s brand transformation amplifies its personality and “emotional connection with customers.”

“Ordering a pizza is a positive experience; it should be a celebration,” Lacroix said. “And what do you do when you celebrate? Well, you want bright colors, it’s bold, it’s playful, and they created a scene that talks to the ultimate benefit of ordering a pizza: this idea of tasting great, the idea of treating yourself.”

Domino’s stock remained relatively flat on Wednesday after the announcement of the rebrand, with a slight uptick in after-hours trading.

• Alibaba’s Joe Tsai says the AI race isn’t winner-takes-all but a “long marathon.”
• Tsai said the US should prioritize adoption over massive spending.
• Instead of spending billions on AI, China focuses on rapid integration in everyday tech.

Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai said AI isn’t a winner-take-all competition.

Tsai said at the All-In Summit 2025 in September, a recording of which was posted on Wednesday, that “when it comes to AI, there’s no such thing as winning the race.”

“It’s a long marathon,” he added.

Tsai said the AI race isn’t about who builds the biggest or most powerful model — it’s about who can deploy AI faster.

“Every week there’s a model that’s leading, but then the next week another model overtakes them,” Tsai said. “My definition of winning, you know, is not who comes up with the strongest AI model, but who can adopt it faster,” he added.

He said the US should focus more on the adoption and diffusion of AI instead of spending billions on developing larger models.

Tsai highlighted China as an example of faster adoption. He said companies are embracing open-source and smaller models that are optimized for real-world use, such as on mobile devices and laptops.

“I’m not saying China technologically is winning in the model war,” Tsai said. “But in terms of the actual application and also people benefiting from AI, it has made a lot of development.”

“You want AI to proliferate,” he added.

Alibaba declined to comment.

US and China AI strategy

US tech companies have been spending billions of dollars to stay ahead in the AI race.

Executives at Meta say they expect to spend $600 billion on AI infrastructure, including massive data centers, through 2028. OpenAI and Oracle have announced plans to put $500 billion into a data center project dubbed Stargate.

Meanwhile, China’s AI play is all about lean, efficient models — cheaper, lighter, easier to deploy.

DeepSeek’s R1 model, which shook up the AI industry and the US stock market earlier this year, rivals top competitors but, according to the company, it was built at a fraction of the cost.

Instead of trying to outbuild leading players like OpenAI, China focuses on rolling out AI across everyday tech at breakneck speed, Ray Wang, the research director for semiconductors and emerging technology at Futurum Group, told Business Insider in April.

That rapid integration could prove just as crucial as model quality in determining a country’s overall competitiveness in AI, Wang said.