Where do you find reliable developers for an MVP these days?

I’ve noticed it’s becoming harder to find quality developers on platforms like Upwork lately. My last experience wasn’t great - it took forever, and the final product didn’t meet expectations. I’m curious if anyone here has better suggestions for finding skilled and dependable developers who can deliver on time. Would love to hear your recommendations!

UPDATE : Thank you all for the amazing insights and thoughtful discussions! I’ve finally decided to move forward with an agency— quick-mvp.com. Not promoting, just sharing as I know how tricky it can be to filter through all the proposals (been flooded with it following this post). Many seemed unreliable or too focused on cutting corners, so take your time and choose wisely! I’ll start sharing weekly updates on the MVP progress from now on. Hopefully, it’ll help anyone else going through the same process.