SCALE UP

How did COVID trigger a $25B remote work revolution that rewrote six nations’ talent playbooks?🔹 Why do 85% of regional teams fail, while only 15% find the formula for long-term retention?🔹 And what separates companies burning $2M+ on failed hires from those achieving 85%+ retention in Southeast Asia’s hypercompetitive market?When Crazy Rich Asians gave the world its champagne-soaked view of Marina Bay Sands, it glamorized Southeast Asia. But the real story is far more contrasting. In Ho Chi Minh City, midnight coders debug AI systems over bubble tea. In Jakarta, motorbike drivers weave through traffic to power billion-dollar e-commerce networks. In Manila, young professionals juggle U.S. client calls while building TikTok side hustles that often outpace their day jobs.The numbers behind this transformation are staggering:💰 $87B in venture capital over the past decade🚀 32 unicorns since 2014📈 A digital economy on track to hit $1 trillion by 2030Yet most global companies continue to make the same mistake—treating Southeast Asia as a single market. A one-size-fits-all playbook here is talent suicide:- 🇸🇬 Singapore’s fast-switching career racers won’t behave like 🇹🇭 Thailand’s hierarchy-respecting teams- 🇻🇳 Vietnam’s credential-driven engineers think differently from 🇮🇩 Indonesia’s consensus builders- 🇵🇭 The Philippines’ American-influenced workplaces are nothing like 🇲🇾 Malaysia’s multicultural balancing actThe companies that succeed do things differently. They build cultural intelligence into their strategy from day one, design for retention over recruitment, invest in AI and tech development hubs, partner early with governments and universities, and see Southeast Asia not as cheap labor but as a launchpad for leadership and innovation.

Many have asked me to write sth on the AIGC frenzy happening in China since my last post. So here it is, this time I am telling it like a story. When ChatGPT dropped in late 2022, Silicon Valley 🇺🇸 looked like Goliath—$5B+ poured into training GPT-4, a handful of fortress-like labs guarded by prestige PhDs. China 🇨🇳, meanwhile, seemed like David, locked out behind the Great Firewall. But then the dragon awakened: instead of waiting, China built hundreds of its own models—and the story flipped.Here’s what’s fascinating: two completely different playbooks for the same revolution.🔹 The Fortress (U.S.)- 3–5 dominant labs.- Training costs: $100M–$5B per model.- Release cycle: 12–18 months.- Talent: PhD pipelines from Stanford/MIT, 5–7 years to leadership roles, avg. comp skewed to salary + big tech stock. 🐉 The Swarm (China)- 200+ serious LLM contenders launched in 24 months.- Training costs: DeepSeek R1 at <$6M (≈16:1 cost advantage).- Release cycle: monthly iterations.- Talent: 11.8M annual university grads feeding the ecosystem, recruiters camping outside Tsinghua/PKU, equity offers of 0.5–2% even for senior engineers, promotions in 12–18 months.And it’s not just about AI models—it’s about talent philosophy (Knights in armor VS. Agile warriors) 1️⃣ Velocity vs. Prestige – do you prize speed of impact or brand credibility? 2️⃣ Scale vs. Resilience – one fortress or many agile units? 3️⃣ Career Promise vs. Career Acceleration – longevity or fast-track growth?As the AIGC race unfolds, the question isn’t just who builds the best models. It’s this: will the future of talent look more like fortresses… or swarms?

When foreign companies ask me for suggestions for entering China's talent market, my usual answer is - try to partner or acquire something domestic, or go completely local. This one is for China 🇨🇳. With 11.8M university graduates annually—the largest talent pool on Earth—China’s job market is massive but uniquely volatile. Salaries in AI can spike 35% in just one quarter, and entire hiring landscapes shift within days when a unicorn moves. Behind the Great Firewall, billion-dollar empires can spring from viral phenomena like Labubu collectibles, while domestic tech giants evolve at breakneck speed—from the BAT era (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) to the TMD wave (Toutiao, Meituan, Didi) and now the TTMAP generation dominating AI and consumer tech. Layer on the “35-year career ceiling,” the exodus from Tier-1 cities, and a legal grey zone where crypto firms still employ thousands of mainland professionals… and you’ve got one of the most paradoxical and high-stakes talent markets in the world.💡 So how do you win here?1️⃣ Build multi-hub hiring models that tap emerging cities without losing Tier-1 prestige2️⃣ Offer career longevity paths to keep mid-career talent in play3️⃣ Hedge against market shocks by diversifying hiring pipelines across regions & sectors

Hi fellow subscribers,

If SCALE UP has sparked your curiosity and inspired your growth journey, give a listen to this 🎙️ compelling review of the book, packed with deep insights, practical examples, and thoughtful discussions on the future of work in the era of AGI.

In this podcast episode, you'll explore:

✅ Key strategies from SCALE UP brought to life with real-world applications.✅ Fresh perspectives on adapting to transformative technologies like AGI.✅ Expert commentary on navigating the challenges of scaling up in today’s dynamic world.

Tune in and take your scaling lessons to the next level!

Happy #iwd2024 to all your beautiful and brave women today!

My special guest this week is another brave startup female founder,  Anastasia Kuskova, Co-founder and CEO of Sirius, a groundbreaking startup dedicated to revolutionizing sustainability in the mining and metals industry using the power of #ai.

From Moscow to Shanghai, and Geneva to her current home in Amsterdam, it hasn't been an easy ride both professionally and personally. Due to her Russian identity, despite graduating from a top-tier institution, Anastasia faced numerous rejections throughout job interviews. However, her unwavering perseverance led her to repeatedly challenge her own destiny, redefining her life. From strategic consulting to #worldeconomicforum , Anastasia rose through the ranks in world-class organizations, becoming one of the thought leaders in the #ESG space.

In our conversation, Anastasia shares gripping anecdotes from her life stories, illustrating the journey of breaking barriers, defying odds, and relentlessly pursuing her aspirations. She also imparts invaluable leadership insights, particularly aimed at empowering female leaders in today's world.

"If no one is betting on you, bet on yourself!"

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My guest this week is Purnomo Kristanto, General Manager of Indonesia at The Trade Desk. Purnomo’s inspirational career path began from an engineering background, spanning across customer service, sales and general management, with a significant tenure at Google across APAC. Beneath the veneer of Purnomo's impressive career lies a story of perseverance and resilience. He graduated during a challenging economic downturn when engineering majors struggled to secure employment. To weather the storm and acquire new skills, he made the unconventional move of taking a cold-call sales position. This decision not only helped him survive the adverse economic climate but also enabled him to embark on a continuous learning journey.

An influential figure in Purnomo's life is his late mother, whose guidance and invaluable life advice have been constant companions throughout his childhood and professional journey. These teachings have been seamlessly integrated into his management philosophy, shaping his leadership style and approach.

In this interview, I delve deep into Purnomo's trajectory, exploring how he scaled both teams and himself from a humble beginning. We uncover the invaluable lessons he learned along the way, navigating through life's most challenging events and external environments. Most importantly, he offers practical advice to younger generations, particularly recent graduates, who are currently navigating a tough job market. This guidance comes at a time when many large companies are hesitant to hire fresh graduates. Purnomo's insights serve as a beacon of hope and direction for those seeking to thrive in these challenging times.

"Expect less, do more."

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My guest this week is Aki Taha, co-founder of TalentStories, a media company dedicated to making us smarter about the radically changing world of work. TalentStories ships a weekly newsletter with over 1000 subscribers, as well as a must-listen podcast. And it advises leaders and organizations on how to attract, build and engage diverse, world-class teams.

Aki is a fixture in the tech recruiting space with over 20 years of experience leading US and APAC recruiting efforts at renowned tech titans like Google, Uber and Netflix. He’s helped those companies cross the 5 to 1,000 and 1,000-10,000 employee marks in Asia, during some of their highest-growth phases. And has had the chance to work with leaders like Reed Hastings, Travis Kalanick, and Laszlo Bock.

In this interview, we dive into Aki's intriguing personal journey – from his origins as a New Yorker to his experiences living and working across different parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. He generously shared the secrets behind his success, and candidly discussed the obstacles he faced while scaling organizations – and himself. 

Last, Aki offers up sincere and invaluable advice for recruiters in this incredibly tough job market. As well as tips on how employers can prepare for the massive transformations that are already taking place at work. 

This is definitely a heartfelt episode you should not miss! All the more so if you’re a recruiter, or work in a talent function!

“Heartfelt, recruiter-to-recruiter advice on how to weather a downturn -- and why the Talent function needs you!”

My guest this week is Daniel J West, a legendary HR leader and startup founder, with a career spanning over 25 years across North America, Asia-Pacific and EMEA. Daniel has been part of the transformations and rapid scaling of some of the most renowned companies of our time, including Apple, Uber and Morgan Stanley. He has collaborated with industry icons such as Tim Cook and Travis Kalanick, successfully steering organizations through growth phases ranging from inception (0-1) to hyper-scaling (1-100, 100-1000) and pre-IPO (1,000 to IPO). Daniel's influence extends to mentoring high-performing teams and providing strategic guidance to esteemed startups turning into tech giants like Alibaba Group and Careem.

In addition to his remarkable career journey, Daniel is the visionary founder of a groundbreaking people analytics company. Panalyt, his brainchild, offers an intuitive and comprehensive People Analytics solution that seamlessly integrates and analyzes dispersed people data and utilizing reliable people metrics to anticipate risks, inform strategy, and prepare for the future of work.

In this insightful interview, we delve deep into Daniel's journey of scaling companies and explore the valuable lessons he's learned along the way. He generously shares his top advice for the HR leaders of the next generation, offering insights into the future of #AI and its pivotal role in shaping the field of people analytics. Finally, we uncover Daniel's secret ingredients for success and gain a personal glimpse into his life and career trajectory.
"The mentor-mentee relationship is a profound and enduring connection that requires consistent investment of time and effort."

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#AI has brought us to a new era of work. Our definition of career path will no longer be linear and the employer-employee dynamics will shift from the industrial revolution influence to a whole new phase focusing on skills.

Vanessa's incredible career trajectory from a news reporter to financial consultant (without any finance certificates) to Head of HR @ Google Taiwan, is a living proof that pivots can happen no matter the external environments or cultural limitations. And it's not just a privilege to a western society.

So here are the top 3 secret ingredients Venessa concluded that can accelerate your pivot,

1️⃣ Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions. There are no stupid questions. Only by asking for clarifications when we encounter the unknown, can we provoke that inner curiosity within us and others.

2️⃣ If you want something, ASK! The law of attraction works. Don't hide away your pursuits and cravings, let the universe hear. The energy of your thoughts manifest your experiences. And people or help will start to come when you start asking.

3️⃣ See challenges as opportunities. Pivots never comes easy. It takes an incredible amount of courage and effort to take that first step out of your comfort zone. And the way to show your career resilience is by continuously embracing and solving the hardest problems. You cannot win trust, you can only earn trust!

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"Every problem is an opportunity in disguise." - John Adams. Like many others, Cass and her entire crew have also been impacted by the dreaded #layoffs2023 pandemic. Although disheartened by the sad news, Cass also saw an opportunity in this layoff market.

“Tech startups still have to grow and keep expanding. However, their way of engaging marketing agencies will need to change fundamentally to adjust to the restricted budgets. This is where I see an opportunity, to be a true partner to the client through 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦. "

Tune in to this episode where Cass shared the story behind OtterHalf. ( 🔊 Spoiler alert, the name is a witty wordplay and definitely has something to do with Otters as well) and her top tips for turning setbacks into stepping stones and starting a new venture. 

1️⃣ Know your strength and do what you love. This way, people can naturally feel your passion and energy.

2️⃣ Execution is key. Surely planning and testing your hypotheses are important when starting a business, but there are no perfect market research can 100% predict the best way to proceed, so my advice is to take that first step and start doing it.

3️⃣ Money matters. Lastly, talk to as many people as you can to get an initial sense of the demand, product-market-fit of your idea. Then do a proper financial budgeting and forecasting to make sure you have taken calculated risks before venturing into entrepreneurship.

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