North Koreans figured out US remote work before most CEOs
Hint: it starts with a laptop, a job board, and no one asking questions
Hey there,
I’m very happy. The NBA is finally interesting again
I’ve been watching the conference finals and it’s starting to feel like real basketball is back.
The league turned into a three-point contest for the past few years. Run, chuck, repeat. If I may say so, I was a prolific shooter back in the day, but even I got bored.
Now we’ve got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dragging OKC to the top, playing like Kobe—mid-range, post moves, full-court game. It’s refreshing. The league is evolving again, and that’s good for the game.
Kind of reminds me of hiring: everyone copies what’s hot, but the real winners adapt when the game changes.
But enough about hoops. If you don’t like basketball, I probably lost you already.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. AI Could Replace half of Entry-Level White-Collar Jobs, Says Anthropic CEO
Recap: Dario Amodei warns that entry-level roles in tech, finance, law, and consulting could disappear within five years due to AI advances.
I think he’s right, and it’s already happening.
Gen Z is starting to pick trades over desk jobs because being a plumber looks more stable than being a business analyst.
And at the same time, senior talent is getting harder to find and more expensive to keep.
The companies that win in this market will be the ones that know how to find experienced people who can still operate lean.
That’s where most hiring teams make a mistake: they look to other markets (Latin America, for example) for junior roles only. And the arbitrage is wild at the senior level.
A VP making $800K in the U.S. might cost $120K in Latin America
There’s a massive opportunity to hire top-tier senior operators (product leads, finance heads, engineering managers) at a fraction of U.S. salaries.
And they don’t just want the job. They treat it like a privilege.
That’s not just good business. That’s how you build a team that actually lasts.
Advice:
Don’t wait until your junior pipeline dries up.
Start building teams with strong senior talent who know how to lead.
Train your people on AI (deeply) and appoint an internal AI champion to drive adoption.
And remember: the real benefit isn’t in task automation.
It’s in finding yourself world-class leaders outside, wherever they are.
2. The ‘beige Amazon influencer’ lawsuit is headed for dismissal
Recap: A copyright case between two nearly identical Amazon influencers is being dropped. One accused the other of copying her entire online persona—beige aesthetic, photo style, product lineup, the works.
Everyone’s trying to stand out, but most people start by copying someone else.
That’s not a bad way to learn. I did it too when we launched Lupa: our site looked like every other hiring company.
But at some point, you have to figure out what makes you different. And that’s where most people stall.
You can’t fake originality forever. Not if you want to be trusted.
These influencers ended up in court because their brands were so similar, even they couldn’t tell them apart. That’s the real lesson here. Not about legal precedent, but about identity.
In a world of copy-paste content, knowing who you are is your best defense.
Advice:
Start by borrowing what works. But don’t stop there.
As your company grows, revisit your voice, your look, your tone.
Make sure your brand actually reflects your product, your team, your edge.
If it doesn’t, you’re not building trust. You’re just blending in.
3. North Korea is infiltrating IT workers in American companies
Recap: Federal investigation reveals how fake identities, TikTok laptop farms, and remote work scams helped North Korea earn millions from U.S. tech companies.
This one was sent in by one of our readers (thanks, Matt). If you ever stumble across a crazy hiring story and want me to comment on it, send it over!
I read this and of course my first thought was “spy movie.” But it’s a real wake-up call for anyone hiring remotely. A North Korean IT worker logging into your Slack isn’t a wild story anymore. It’s a Tuesday.
It’s not just about overseas risk. Fraud can come from anywhere, even someone in Minnesota with 90 laptops in their guest room. The lesson isn’t “don’t hire abroad.” It’s “don’t hire blindly.”
Job boards and inbound applications are especially vulnerable. When you open the door and let anyone in, you’re relying on luck and trust.
That’s not a hiring strategy. It’s a liability.
The smartest companies are actively sourcing and vetting their hires. Because when you go out and find talent yourself, the odds of landing on a scammer drop dramatically.
Advice:
Skip the spray-and-pray job posts.
Build systems that prioritize active sourcing and real vetting.
Whether you're hiring in the US or abroad, it's not where you're hiring that creates risk. It’s how.
Fraud looks for open doors. Make sure yours are locked.
🔎 Remote Jobs Shortlist
These are the hot new openings of this week.
Even if you’re not on the hunt, it’s worth seeing what roles great companies are opening and what that says about where things are headed.
1. Customer Success Manager
This Mexico-based fintech is helping millions access credit for the first time, and they’re doing it with care. They don't just want growth; they want responsible, long-term relationships with their users.
Now they’re hiring a senior CSM to lead retention, build playbooks, and scale impact across the customer lifecycle. You’ll work cross-functionally with product, data, and operations to solve for the whole journey, not just ticket volume.
You should have 5+ years of experience in high-volume customer success roles (ideally in B2C), strong analytical chops, and a real passion for customer advocacy. Spanish and English required. Fintech experience is a plus.
💵 $5,500 - $7,000 USD
📍LatAm Remote
2. Product Deployment & Automation Lead
This client is scaling fast across Latin America, and they're building a post-sale engine to match.
This is a new role focused on automating customer engagement, onboarding, and retention after implementation. You'll design workflows based on user behavior (think: low engagement triggers, welcome emails, upsell signals) and deploy scalable communications that improve platform usage across thousands of accounts.
You've likely done this before in a SaaS, CX, or product-led org — ideally using tools like Intercom, HubSpot, or customer engagement platforms. Strong understanding of event-based analytics, CRM workflows, and product adoption metrics. You won't be handling support tickets, but you'll build the systems that prevent them. Think retention-focused product ops with a touch of customer success and a mandate to build from scratch.
💵 $4,000 - $6,000 USD
📍 Chile
3. Email Coder
Our client is a company with a fast-moving team that works with top global brands to build high-performing email campaigns at scale.
This isn't your typical marketing role. You'll be coding responsive email templates from scratch, optimizing for deliverability across platforms, and using tools like Litmus, Ampscript, and Jinja. You'll work on everything from creative execution to campaign QA and deployment.
You'll need 3–5 years of experience in email marketing, deep HTML/CSS skills, and hands-on time with Salesforce Marketing Cloud or similar ESPs. Strong organizational skills and fluency in English are key.
💵 $2,000 - $4,000 USD
📍 Colombia
That's it for this week.
Keep your doors locked, your AI trained, and your brand original.
Hire like it matters, because it does. Need a hand? Book time with me.
And if you see a North Korean in your Slack… maybe double check the I-9.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa