Recessions are great because they unlock the best people.

Patzer’s line reframes recession—normally treated as pure economic harm—as a moment when talent becomes newly available. In downturns, hiring freezes lift, layoffs occur, and risk tolerance shifts: highly capable people who might otherwise stay put at stable, well-paid jobs become open to joining younger companies, switching industries, or taking on entrepreneurial roles. The quote also implies a strategic advantage for builders: scarcity of capital can be offset by an abundance of human capital, and teams assembled in hard times may be unusually resilient and mission-driven. It is a deliberately contrarian, founder-oriented view that treats crisis as an opportunity to recruit and reorganize.