Deepfake CEOs are officially a thing
Meanwhile, Google just made global hiring 10x easier. Here’s how to use it first.
Hey there,
Next week marks a month since I’ve been back visiting the U.S.
I try to come home every year to see family and catch up with friends. But I can’t keep noticing that something is different. And you’ll see it in the news I picked this week.
Every time I come back, things feel a little more off.
Malls are emptier. Everyone is in (more) debt. One of my friends told me he bought jeans on a payment plan.
It’s not collapse. But it’s not progress either.
When I first watched Idiocracy, it was funny. Now it feels a little too real.
People are struggling. Klarna’s CEO sent an AI avatar of himself to share bad news. Congress is pushing a bill to deregulate AI while boosting fossil fuel spending.
The common thread? Tech is moving fast. Regulation isn’t. And companies are making bold moves to stay ahead.
I’m still optimistic, but we have to pay close attention.
Time to talk about what smart founders should actually be watching right now.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. Klarna is growing. But so are its losses.
Recap: Klarna just reported a $99 million Q1 loss. Defaults are up 17%. And instead of showing up to explain it, the CEO sent an AI avatar to read the earnings.
Look, I get it. This is their business. Here’s what’s wild: revenue’s up, user base is up, partnerships are growing. By all appearances, Klarna is doing great.
But let’s not miss the bigger picture: that growth is happening, again, because people are struggling.
BNPL isn’t thriving in spite of financial instability. It’s thriving because of it.
When cash is tight, a zero-interest button looks like the best option.
But when someone misses a payment, things get shaky.
The company still has to front the cash to the store, but now they’re chasing a customer who might not pay them back.
The more that happens, the more money they lose. And if enough people default, the whole business starts to bend under the pressure.
So yeah, Klarna’s scaling. But the cracks are showing.
And instead of showing up live, their CEO sent a digital clone to read the earnings.
You could argue if that’s strategy or not. For me, it looks like hiding behind a screen.
Advice:
If you’re building in fintech, run the numbers on what happens when repayments stall.
Ask yourself: does this still work if the user misses two payments?
If not, it’s not a business, it’s a gamble.
Build tools that protect people, not just onboard them.
Because long-term trust beats short-term growth every time.
2. Google Meet can now translate your voice in real time
Recap: Google just rolled out real-time voice translation in Meet, starting with English–Spanish. It keeps your tone and timing, and it actually works.
This isn’t just a cool tool. It’s a hiring unlock.
The language barrier was one of the last things slowing down global teams. Now, once this tech goes mainstream, hiring globally becomes the default.
Suddenly, teams in India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe—anywhere—are no longer “hard to manage” because of English.
The language excuse is gone.
But proximity still matters.
And that’s where LatAm wins.
Timezone. Work culture. Business context.
If you’re hiring for remote roles, there’s no region that delivers on all three like Latin America.
And if you want the best people, now’s the time to move.
Advice:
The top bilingual talent in LatAm is already the best paid.
The top non-bilingual talent? Working for local companies.
This tech just opened the door. Walk through it before everyone else does.
Train them. Promote them. Build the future with them.
Because when the market catches up, you’ll already be ahead.
3. America’s new budget is loud, and the wrong people are driving
Recap: The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” just passed the House. It blocks states from regulating AI for the next 10 years, guts climate incentives, slashes consumer protections, and funnels $46B into border surveillance and wall construction.
It’s not just an AI bill. It’s a wishlist from the loudest lobbyists in the room.
While Europe is setting boundaries for emerging tech, the U.S. is cutting them.
This bill may not pass the Senate as is. But if you want to know what’s being prioritized in American policy, look at what’s getting funded: border walls, surveillance tech, fossil fuels.
AI rules got delayed.
Consumer protections got cut.
Climate plans got tossed out.
This isn’t “pro-innovation.” It’s deregulation dressed up as momentum.
And the people pushing it don’t even fully understand the tech they’re unleashing.
Advice:
If you’re building or hiring in the U.S., this is your early warning.
The next few years could be a Wild West moment: more grift, more noise, more risk.
The smartest founders will get ahead of it.
Diversify your markets. Build outside the echo chamber.
Don’t wait for regulation to catch up. Get your ethics and resilience in place now.
Because when the incentives are broken, the responsibility is yours.
🔎 Remote Jobs Shortlist
Here’s what smart companies are hiring for this week.
Even if you’re not job hunting, it’s worth knowing what great teams are building (and who they’re looking for).
1. Full Stack Developer
This SaaS startup is rethinking real estate tech and just raised money to turn a working MVP into a real product.
They’re hiring their first technical teammate. You’ll own the full stack and shape the platform’s long-term architecture. Node, TypeScript, React, and Postgres on Google Cloud. No legacy mess. Just a clean slate, a clear vision, and a chance to build something real.
5+ years of full stack experience, strong backend fundamentals, and a bias toward clean code and fast iteration. Bonus if you’ve worked in startups, integrated tools like Stripe or Twilio, or touched AI frameworks like Langchain.
💵 $6,000 - $8,000 USD
📍LatAm Remote
2. Full Stack Developer
Yeah, it's another full stack role. This team is building AI to triage real emergency calls. Life-or-death stuff. Not selling vitamins. Not tweaking retention curves.
They need someone who can jump into a Scala + Angular codebase and actually ship. You'll work side by side with the CTO, building tools that help first responders make faster, smarter decisions.
If you've worked with AI agents, even better. But what really matters is sharp thinking, fast execution, and zero tolerance for fluff.
💵 $3,000 - $4,000 USD
📍LatAm Remote
3. AI Developer
This team is building an emotionally intelligent AI platform for creators (yes, really). They've already shipped products, and now they're hiring someone to take their agents and automation stack to the next level.
You'll work on training and deploying LLMs, building pipelines, refining AI-driven workflows, and connecting it all to business goals. Think: ML meets product pragmatism.
Must have 3+ years of experience, strong Python chops, API dev, and know how to scale models without setting the house on fire.
💵$5,000 - $7,000 CAD
📍LatAm Remote
That's all for this week.
If you're reading this, you're already ahead of most founders.
The ones who wait for “official” guidance are the ones who get caught off guard.
Stay sharp, hire smart, and if you need help, let me know.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa