I’m in a pretty unique position. I run a profitable company. I don’t answer to a board. I’ve lived in depressed steel towns in Ohio and rich gated neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, just as I’ve been fired in Silicon Valley and promoted in Latin America. I’ve interviewed thousands of candidates, helped dozens of companies scale, speak 3 languages, lived in 7 different countries, and been in rooms most people don’t get invited into.
I read more than most, remember more than most, and there’s a bit of an autistic side of me that doesn't know how to say anything else other than what I actually think.
Each week, I’m picking 3 stories that matter (usually from tech, hiring, and the weirder corners of business) and breaking them down with zero filter.
I’m not here to make another boring business newsletter. I’m here to express myself about what’s real, what’s broken, and what you might want to do about it. If you’re expecting “5 ways to be a better leader,” unsubscribe now.
I’ll also include a couple extra things: a shortlist of pieces of content from the Lupa blog that’s actually worth reading (not some programmatic SEO filler), and a shortlist of the hottest jobs our clients are hiring for that week and how I’m thinking about them. You don’t have to be job-hunting to care. Sometimes it’s just useful to know what good companies are hiring for right now and how.
This is what happens when you give a steel-town hillbilly with an economics obsession artistic freedom. You might laugh. You might learn something. You might get offended. You won’t get fluff.
Vamos.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. Shopify to Staff: Prove You’re Better Than a Robot
Shopify’s CEO told managers they can’t hire anyone unless they prove the role can’t be done by AI. He posted the internal memo himself. Heads exploded.
Let’s be honest with ourselves: this isn’t just about innovation. It’s about survival. Shopify’s stock is worth half of what it was at its all-time high and net income has fallen off at the same rate.
This CEO is getting crushed by his board and needs to show he’s not asleep at the wheel. And he isn’t your typical SaaS exec either. He’s a literal German race car driver. He likes speed, efficiency, and risk. So naturally, he’s applying that mindset to headcount. Move fast, cut bloat, automate first, ask questions later.
And honestly? I kind of respect it.
Because here’s the truth: at a company with 8,000 people, there’s probably 4,000 positions that can be replaced by AI. Maybe more. And in big orgs, nobody ever says, “we don’t need this person.” Everyone always wants more resources. Making people prove they need a human instead of a bot is a pretty clever filter. I’ve worked in places where there was always a hiring freeze and always an exception. Everyone’s gaming the system. This guy’s just publicizing it.
It also sets up Shopify employees to be very hireable in the next wave. If you’ve survived under this AI regime, you’ve had to upskill. You’ve had to think like a product owner, not a money pit. You’ve had to defend your seat and the seats under you. It’s a tough environment, but also one that produces heat seeking missiles for pain, in the best way.
Yes, this is probably a sneaky hiring freeze in disguise. But it’s also a training ground and interesting to watch. Shopify’s team is international and I’ll be circling those that survive like a vulture.
2. The Spy Who Slacked Me
A Rippling employee allegedly leaked confidential info to Deel while still working at Rippling. The guy got recruited during an interview—and Deel paid him to stay put and spy, according to the affidavit.
Okay. So certified HR darling/giant Deel pulled off what amounts to a high-stakes HR heist. They recruited a guy, kept him inside the rival’s walls, and had him feed intel like he was Jason Bourne. He locked himself in a bathroom and tried to flush his phone down the toilet when he got caught.
Wild, right?
But also… it’s not shocking. Of course this isn’t the first time this has happened. Deel is just the company that got caught most recently.
Let’s talk about Deel for a second. Fastest company to hit $100M ARR. Insanely aggressive. Built at the perfect moment, with the perfect product, backed by YC and run by a founder who was literally begging people to sign up in the streets during demo day. The guy is a certified psycho (in the most endearing and admirable sense of the word), which is sort of what it takes to get to where he is.
So yes, innocent until proven guilty, but I could believe he told a candidate, “Instead of working for us, how about you stay there and just… send us everything?”
Does that make it right? No.
Does he have hundreds of millions of VC dollars breathing down his neck? Yes.
Did he see it at the time as just trying to be successful by any means necessary? Probably.
Now the question is: what happens next? The mole already torched his career. Rippling will give him the choice of ratting out Deel or going to jail. Deel might get hammered. Or maybe not. These companies are at war. It would be interesting to see where the dust settles – but it will probably be done very quietly in a room no one has access to.
The real takeaway here is this: if you’re leading a company and someone seems even slightly morally shaky—cut them. Today. Don’t wait. The mole probably showed some signs of questionable behavior. Play with long term people who know it’s better to pass up a morally bankrupt opportunity and keep themselves in the game long term.
3. Ah, Yes, The Hot Topic: Tariffs Are a Scam, and You’re Just the One Paying for It
A wave of new tariffs was announced this week. Framed as a patriotic move to protect American jobs. But prices are going up—and they’re not coming back down.
This one’s so obvious to me it’s insulting. Let’s lay it out: the people behind these tariffs are billionaires. They’re not trying to fix trade. They’re trying to raise prices, permanently, without looking like the bad guy. You make foreign goods more expensive, then companies jack their prices and blame it on tariffs. When the tariffs go away, prices will stay the same. And that extra margin? That’s going straight into someone’s bonus pool.
How everyone doesn’t see the plot is mind-blowing to me.
It’s a slow-motion transfer of wealth from regular people to people who own massive businesses. They’ll take a hit on the stock price now, sure, but they’re benefitting in the long run.
Nobody talks about it, because it’s dressed up in the Republican “protect American manufacturing” or Democratic “he bankrupted a casino and our country is next” narratives (depending on which way your algo skews).
You want to do something about the deficit. There’s only a few real ways to make a dent: military, social security, medicare… but no US politician is going to touch that.
So what does it mean for you?
If you’ve got great employees who are going to feel the squeeze—people with kids, high fixed costs, anyone sensitive to inflation—take care of them now. Lock them in. They know the best way to make more money is to change companies.
Don’t wait until the market corrects. People are going to jump ship, just like they did during COVID. They’ll chase better pay and more stable ground with their 401k and employee equity plan in the dumps.
And look—I’m not subtle, so I won’t pretend to be. If these tariffs are making your budgets cry and you need to cut the cost of talent, talk to me. That’s what I do.
🔎 Remote Jobs Shortlist
Explore the top technology roles we’re currently hiring for in LatAm:
My client is seeking a highly skilled AI Developer to design, develop, and implement AI-driven business solutions.
💵 $5,000 - $7,000
📍LatAm
My client is looking for an AI Researcher to advance technologies in short- and long-term memory systems, model fine-tuning, generative AI, and integration processes.
💵 $5,000 - $7,000
📍Brazil
My client is seeking a Data Architect to lead architectural discussions, design data migration solutions, and collaborate with global teams.
💵 $6,500 - $7,500
📍LatAm
My client is seeking a highly innovative Creative Marketing Strategist to lead the development and execution of bold, organic marketing campaigns.
💵 $6,000 - $7,500
📍LatAm
My client is seeking a Lead/Senior Frontend Engineer to join a high-growth startup revolutionizing the financial services sector with a next-generation low-code tool.
💵 $7,400 - $7,500
📍LatAm
Thinking about hiring in LatAm? Here’s the truth:
Most companies wing it. They burn time, overpay, or hire the wrong person—and then wonder what went wrong. I’ve helped startups and scaling teams across the U.S. skip the guessing game and actually build high-performing teams in Latin America.
No inflated salaries. No recruitment theater. Just great people, fast.
If that sounds like something your team needs, let’s talk.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa