YC called Google a monopolist... I have thoughts
Plus: ChatGPT outranks Chipotle, and Scheffler keeps it cool
Hey there,
I was watching the PGA Championship (translation: a golf tournament) this weekend and came to a realization: If Scottie Scheffler (the guy who won) applied for a job, he’d pass every interview.
He’s the kind of person every founder says they want: calm under pressure, zero ego, high output.
No drama. No excuses. Just shows up, does the work, and leads by example.
In a world that rewards loud, he’s proof that focus still wins.
I even had him on my mind while playing a tournament of my own.
100 players, most of them college-level. I finished third. Even par. Took home $400.
Not a bad showing for someone who doesn’t golf for a living.
Then I came back, reviewed the week’s news, and couldn’t stop thinking about the overlap.
Great hiring, great leadership, great golf: it’s all about consistency.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. Y Combinator calls Google a monopoly
Recap: YC backed the government’s case against Google, saying it’s a monopoly that’s hurting startups. The problem? Google controls default search on most devices, and that’s made investors stop funding new search tools.
It’s pretty funny hearing YC throw around the word “monopoly.”
This is the same organization that runs its own little empire where everyone funds each other, buys from each other, and gets exclusive access to the same pool of capital.
But I get the move. Google’s been quietly steamrolling half the startup ecosystem with AI launches that look suspiciously like YC demo day winners.
When your entire accelerator gets crushed by one Gemini update, you start filing legal briefs.
And here’s the deeper point: Google can copy your product. But they can’t copy your brand.
That’s why so many smart founders are finally starting to invest in it.
Advice:
Don’t just build something useful. Build something memorable.
Google can launch faster. They can scale harder.
But they can’t take your brand unless you hand it to them.
Your product gets copied. Your brand makes it stick.
2. ChatGPT, Chipotle, and the new kings of brand value
Recap: Kantar just ranked the world’s most valuable brands. Apple’s still on top. Nvidia shot up 152%. And ChatGPT? It entered the list at #60, beating Chipotle and Stripe.
We’re living in a weird timeline.
ChatGPT—a tool that didn’t exist three years ago—just made the list of the world’s most valuable brands.
Not buried at the bottom, either. It ranked higher than Stripe. Higher than Chipotle.
And yes, that one stings. I live in Mexico now and I still miss Chipotle.
But this isn’t just funny. It’s what happens when a product becomes infrastructure.
OpenAI didn’t just launch fast. They built trust. Distribution. Cultural weight.
Everyone from high schoolers to Fortune 500 execs uses it daily, and talks about it.
That’s brand. That’s gravity.
Stripe has more revenue. Chipotle has more locations.
But ChatGPT owns the conversation. And in AI, that’s what wins.
Advice:
Again, brand isn’t fluff. It’s leverage.
You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be first in people’s heads.
If you’re building something in AI, think about the story. Make it sticky. Make it loud. Make it yours.
3. H-1B visas drop just as tech keeps laying off
Recap: The U.S. just approved ~120,000 H-1B visas for 2026, the lowest since 2021. At the same time, tech layoffs keep piling up. The political right is split: some want reform, others want the program gone.
Trump’s testing talking points again: throwing ideas out, seeing what sticks, and pulling back what doesn’t.
But the bigger picture is clear: tech needs talent. And the U.S. immigration system isn’t delivering.
Getting an H-1B is now like winning the lottery, except it comes with a pile of paperwork and a six-month delay.
Meanwhile, the best engineers in the world are getting tired of waiting. And companies that need them are already looking elsewhere.
Advice:
Visa sponsorship is broken. Don’t let it break your hiring plan.
Build your team where the talent already is.
There are world-class engineers in Latin America who speak fluent English, work your hours, and won’t ghost you mid-process.
Stop waiting for approvals. Start hiring where the process works.
🎬 Behind the Hiring: The Role You’re Opening Now? You Should’ve Opened It 6 Months Ago
We’re hiring an engineering manager right now for a company we’ve helped scale, hiring 30+ people over the last year.
Six months ago, after working closely with their active Engineering leadership, I told the CEO:
“You’re going to need a real technical leader soon.”
The signs were already there.
And as their team has grown, shipping quickly and at high quality has been difficult. Their product team is frustrated and screaming for help.
That’s how most companies learn: the hard way.
This isn’t just about filling a seat. It’s about timing, fit, and getting buy-in from the team already there.
You can’t just plug in a manager and hope it works. Especially in Engineering.
So, now that they do want to hire, I asked the real questions:
Is this person going to write code?
Do they need to push the roadmap?
Are they a coach, an architect, or a blocker remover?
A lot of people don’t know the difference.
But if your recruiter can’t tell an Engineering Manager from a Tech Lead or an Architect, what are we even doing?
What this company really needs is someone who can challenge both sides, product and engineering, and help the team ship faster.
But more than that, they need someone the current team respects. Someone who makes the system better, not heavier.
That’s how you build trust while you scale.
Takeaway:
Good hiring isn’t about solving today’s fire.
It’s about seeing six months ahead and preparing for it.
The best hires don’t just add skills. They unlock the next chapter of the team.
If you’re working with recruiters who just take orders and send resumes, you’re doing it wrong.
You need someone who sees the whole arc and knows when to push you to move earlier.
🔎 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. Business Operations Lead
One of our clients in Mexico, a fast-growing manufacturing tech company working with Fortune 500 clients, is looking for a sharp, scrappy operator to keep their fast-growing business on the rails.
You’ll work directly with the founders to run ops, manage vendors, and keep internal processes sharp. They’re looking for someone to own execution now, and grow into a leadership role later.
You need to be based in CDMX and thrive in a high-trust, high-speed team. No hand-holding. Just impact. If you’ve been looking for a clear path to leadership, this is it.
💵 $5,000 - $11,000 USD
📍Mexico
2. Senior Product Manager
Our client is a U.S.-based fintech startup building low-code infrastructure for banks and financial institutions, backed by top-tier VCs and scaling fast with real clients and a loaded pipeline.
You'll lead major product initiatives, turning client problems into shipped features. You'll be the bridge between clients, leadership, and engineering, owning everything from discovery to delivery.
What do we want to find for them? A former consultant turned product operator. Sharp with strategy, serious about shipping. Someone who can hold their own with clients, write a real PRD, and drive clarity in chaos. Strong fintech or infra background is a big plus.
💵 $2,500 - $4,000 USD
📍LatAm Remote
3. Tech Lead
This startup is building a bold new layer in ecommerce: a no-inventory infrastructure that lets brands sell from 600K+ physical stores across the U.S. without ever touching the product. It's Amazon without the warehouse.
You'll be the first engineer. The one who writes the code, picks the stack, sets the architecture, and ships the MVP. You'll work side-by-side with the founders and a senior technical partner (ex-CTO, retail vet, built and exited a startup) to test GTM pathways, chase product-market fit, and build real traction.
You're ideal if you're someone who's been first before. You've owned a build from zero. You're fluent in modern stacks (Go, Python, TypeScript), serious about shipping, and obsessed with getting to a real demo, not a pretty deck. English fluency is a must. Startup scars are a plus.
💵$5,000 - $8,000 USD
📍Colombia
That’s it for this week.
If something here made you think, hit reply. I actually read your emails.
And if you’re hiring, let’s talk.
We’ll help you find the people who ship.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa