In doubt, just help someone else out... It’ll pay you back
Protests shaking Mexico City, chaos at X, and Colombia’s new labor law
Hey there,
I’ve always believed entrepreneurship is a team sport.
When I started Lupa, partnerships were a channel we barely touched. We were busy building, selling, and delivering.
Partnerships felt like this long-game thing that would be “nice to have someday.”
But something changed when I started being more active on LinkedIn (and here).
Suddenly, I wasn’t just talking to clients. I was connecting with other founders, operators, and people running great businesses. We’d share ideas, trade insights, and help each other solve problems. And over time, those conversations started turning into real partnerships.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Business is built on trust.
Some of my best clients came from someone I helped years ago, with no expectation of anything in return. Partnerships work the same way. Help people. Share knowledge. Create value without keeping score. It might not pay off tomorrow, but it always finds its way back eventually.
This quarter, partnerships became one of our strongest channels. And I’m convinced it’s because we stopped treating them like a side project and started treating them like what they are: relationships that compound.
But enough philosophy for now.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. X’s AI Grok got a little too opinionated
Recap: Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok went off the rails last week, posting antisemitic comments and praising the mustache man. The meltdown came after Musk loosened Grok’s content filters, leading the bot to spew conspiracy theories lifted from places like 4chan. After a wave of backlash (including from the Anti-Defamation League) X pulled Grok offline and scrubbed the worst posts. Meanwhile, Linda Yaccarino resigned as X’s CEO, although that’s reportedly unrelated.
This whole story is a joke. But also, it’s not.
Because it points to a real problem: How do we teach AI about ethics?
AI doesn’t have beliefs. It just mirrors back what people feed into it. Ask it questions from a liberal lens, and it’ll give you a liberal answer. Ask it from a conservative one, and you’ll get that slant instead. If you’re a fascist, it might even serve up fascist takes.
That’s not intelligence. It’s pattern matching.
And here’s the scarier part: Who decides what “hate speech” even is?
The more you ban certain conversations, the more you risk sliding into censorship. But if you allow everything, you get bots praising Hitler.
It’s a mess.
We made this mistake with the internet. We waited too long to teach people how to use it responsibly. Maybe the only way forward is radical education:
How AI works.
How it can be biased.
Why it’s not always right.
Because like it or not, AI is here. And it’s getting baked into every part of business… even that chatbot on your website.
Advice:
Don’t panic about AI taking your job.
But remember that it’s a tool, not a moral compass.
If you’re deploying AI in your business, ask yourself:
What’s it allowed to say?
Where’s the line?
Who’s responsible if it crosses it?
It’s not just a tech problem. It’s a human problem.
2. Mexico City protests against gentrification and expats
Recap: A few days ago, hundreds protested in Mexico City’s Roma and Condesa neighborhoods, demanding tighter housing laws and regulations on mass tourism. The rally started peacefully but ended in vandalism and clashes, with slogans telling foreigners to leave the country.
I live right here (my balcony looks out onto Parque México). And I’ll tell you: this protest wasn’t just noise.
There’s a piece of history most people miss.
After the big earthquake of the ‘80s, a lot of buildings in Roma and Condesa were damaged. Many locals couldn’t afford to rebuild. Wealthier investors (often from other parts of Mexico) bought up the properties for cheap. That was the first wave of gentrification.
Then came the second wave: digital nomads.
Remote workers earning in dollars flooded in after the pandemic. Rents doubled. Airbnbs exploded. TikToks showed “magical life in CDMX,” while locals were pushed out of neighborhoods their families had built over generations.
So, is gentrification good or bad?
Some say it lifts neighborhoods up. Others say it displaces people who have nowhere else to go.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: blaming foreigners is only half the story.
The real issue is policy.
Mexican politicians own a lot of this real estate. They’ve kept regulations loose because skyrocketing property values benefit them. Foreigners renting here pay little tax locally (it’s not required if you leave for one day every six months).
Changing that would mean fewer expats, lower rents… and lower profits for those in power.
So the cycle continues.
Advice:
If you’re moving abroad, remember: you’re stepping into someone else’s story.
Respect the neighborhoods you join. Learn the history. And think twice before posting that “cheap paradise” video.
And if you’re hiring in Mexico, understand this tension. It affects the local economy, wages, and the way talent sees foreign businesses.
The solutions won’t come overnight. But awareness is the first step.
3. Colombia's president signs a labor overhaul into law
Recap: Colombia just passed a sweeping labor reform, shifting more protections toward workers. The law boosts overtime pay and requires benefits like health coverage for gig workers. President Gustavo Petro called it historic for workers’ rights. But businesses are nervous about higher costs, especially in sectors like rideshare, delivery, and the broader gig economy.
Colombia’s laws often feel like they’re written in pencil.
Why? Because every president brings a new vision, and the Constitution only allows one four-year term. No reelection, not even non-consecutive. So political swings are part of the game.
Here’s the real nuance:
This reform sounds great on paper. But many gig workers in Colombia actually prefer flexible, contractor-style work. Healthcare is relatively affordable on your own. Forcing companies like Rappi or Uber to treat everyone as employees could drive up costs, reduce flexibility, and ironically hurt the very workers the law aims to protect.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s public health system already strains to cover everyone. Pushing more costs onto employers may backfire if businesses scale back hiring or raise prices.
For foreign companies, though, it’s not an immediate crisis.
If you’re a US firm operating in Colombia with employees on payroll, you’re largely unaffected. You’re already following these kinds of rules. And Colombian authorities can’t easily interfere with US-based entities hiring remote contractors.
But the bigger picture matters:
Mexico tried similar reforms a few years back, and it spooked international businesses. Colombia risks the same if it makes local hiring too complex or expensive.
Advice:
If you’re hiring in Colombia, this law mainly affects gig platforms, not salaried roles.
Keep close to local legal advisors. Colombian rules can shift fast with political change.
Flexibility is key. The region is full of talent, but you have to comply with the laws carefully to build sustainably.
🔎 Remote Jobs Shortlist
These are the new openings my clients have this week.
Even if you’re not hiring, it’s worth seeing what roles great companies are opening and what that says about where things are headed. Check out the full list here.
1. VP of Engineering
One of Latin America’s most ambitious AI health startups is hiring a VP of Engineering.
This is a player-coach role: you’ll still write code, own architecture decisions, and recruit a team of 10–15 top engineers. You’ll also help scale systems to support over 10,000 simultaneous clinical sessions.
Ideal for someone who’s scaled infrastructure in fast-moving environments, knows modern AI stacks (Python, PyTorch, LangChain, vector databases), and brings founder-level grit. Bonus if you’ve worked in healthtech or regulated industries.
💵 $10,000 - $12,000 USD
📍São Paulo, Brazil
2. General Manager
Same company is looking for a local leader to drive its go-to-market strategy and revenue growth.
What they’re aiming for: taking the business from zero to $10M ARR, and eventually scaling to $100M+. This person will own P&L, lead commercial and sales teams, and be the public face of the company with clients, partners, and regulators.
Ideal for someone deeply connected in Brazil’s healthcare ecosystem, with B2B enterprise sales experience and a background in consulting, private equity, or banking.
💵 $9,000 - $10,000 USD
📍São Paulo, Brazil
3. Senior Backend Engineer
One of Latin America’s fastest-growing fintechs is looking for a backend engineer to help build the core of their payments and financial services platform.
You’d join cross-functional squads working on banking, credit, fraud, or internal tools. The tech stack is serverless on AWS, with Python at the center, but they’re open to engineers skilled in other modern backend languages (Go, Java, Scala, Elixir, and more).
This is the kind of role for people who love solving problems, not just shipping code. You’ll be expected to bring critical thinking, propose architecture improvements, and collaborate with mobile, frontend, and DevOps teammates in a fully remote setup.
Perfect for engineers passionate about building products that empower small businesses and drive social impact.
💵$2,500 - $4,500 USD
📍Colombia
That’s it for this week.
I’m always curious about what stood out to you, or what you’re seeing on your side of the world. Feel free to shoot me a message anytime.
And if you’re thinking about hiring in Latin America, or just want to exchange stories about building businesses, I’m around.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa