...employee? or is it the broker who does?

I think California is like Texas, whereas the salesperson is NOT an employee of the broker, he/she is an independent contractor, which means an independent contractor can hire anyone they want to do whatever they need but it does NOT link that employee to the broker. But I would be very selective on whom I hired, it can get muddy if that employee were to overstep some boundaries.I am a licensed realtor in Texas.

You can be hired as an employee OR be an independent contractor. Employees usually are required to come into the office and are paid salary of some sort along with commission. Independent Contractors are solely commission.You may even be able to hire someone to be your assistant if you are an "employee", but rarely will you be able to make up a "team". As an independent, hire away. Each licensee will have to be under the Broker's license and they essentially are still HIS/HER agents, they just "report, receive training, get leads, ask questions etc" from you.I started hiring other agents to take over the leads that I wasn't able to handle, then hired them because I found so many wanted better training. Whatever you do be sure to discuss openly with your Broker, he/she may not want additional agents because of E & O insurance etc.