Built by Humans – Culture is not universal | Zhenya Rozinskiy, Vanielle Lee

Culture problems are not about intent. They are about expectations.In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Vanielle Lee, CTO and Co-Founder at OdeCloud, to talk about what changes when teams work across the US and Asia, especially Japan.

They cover:
• Why being on time means different things in different countries
• How hierarchy changes feedback, trust, and decision making
• Why American-style communication can feel casual or confusing to others
• How independent work and consulting are shifting with AI

This is a real-world conversation about managing people across borders, avoiding cultural misreads, and working with humans instead of assumptions.

🔗 Connect with the guests
• Zhenya Rozinskiy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rozinskiy
• Vanielle Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanielle/

🌐 Learn more about Mirigos
Website: https://mirigos.com
Contact: [email protected]

🔔 Subscribe for honest conversations about building real tech teams in a global world.

• Building products is mostly about people, not tools or technology
• Cultural differences shape how the same behavior is interpreted
• Small things like punctuality or small talk can create friction in remote teams
• Respect comes from setting expectations early, not assuming intent
• US teams often value informality and debate; Asian teams value clarity and hierarchy
• Asking people to “push back” can feel empowering or confusing, depending on culture
• AI is reshaping consulting by removing traditional junior–senior layers
• Companies increasingly prefer individual contributors over large outsourcing firms
• AI speeds up work but cannot replace trust, ownership, or judgment
• Hiring mistakes are costly; personality and ownership matter more than skills

Podcast transcription:

Built by Humans Podcast

Episode Transcript

Zhenya Rozinskiy
Hello and welcome to this episode of Built by Humans.

This is a podcast where we talk about the human side of building products. Not the latest tools or technology trends, but the people behind them. How teams communicate. How they work across cultures. And how things actually get done when most of the team is remote.

My name is Zhenya. I run a company called Mirigos. We are a team augmentation company. We help our clients hire strong engineering talent from Latin America and Eastern Europe and fully integrate them into their teams as core members.

Vanielle, I will turn it over to you. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background.

Vanielle
Thank you for having me. My name is Vanielle. I am the CTO and Co Founder of OdeCloud.

Similar to what Mirigos does, we help companies hire great consultants from around the world. I have been doing this for the last seven or eight years, and hopefully my experience can add value to today’s conversation.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
Great. I think this will be a very interesting discussion.

You are based in Japan and you have spent a lot of time in the US, so you understand both cultures. Most guests on this podcast are US based, so conversations about culture usually come from the US point of view.

I want to hear the view from the other side. What challenges do you see when working with US companies and US teams?

Vanielle
I think it helps to clarify my background first.

I was born in Vietnam, but I grew up in the US and went to school there. After that, I moved to Korea and worked there for several years. I also spent time working inside a Korean company. Later, I co founded a startup that now works with clients and consultants from many different countries.

I would not say we are a Japanese or American company. We are more like the UN. Our clients and consultants come from everywhere.

To your question about cultural differences, yes, they absolutely exist.

For example, in the US, being late by a few minutes is usually acceptable. People will not be offended as long as you give notice. In Japan, being on time is already considered late. Being early is what is expected.

When I first arrived in Japan, even being one or two minutes late caused friction. People took it personally.

To manage this, I try to set expectations early. If a meeting includes American and Japanese participants, I will send a note explaining that Americans may join a few minutes late and that it does not mean disrespect. It helps smooth the working relationship.

At the core, it is about maintaining a baseline of respect.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
I think that is incredibly important.

In the US, meetings often do not start on time because everyone assumes people will be late. That assumption does not exist in many other cultures.

This reminds me of an experience I had when I was a VP of Engineering. We built a team in Ukraine and brought two engineers to the US to meet the rest of the team.

After the first meeting, my American coworkers told me they liked them, but said they seemed too serious and jumped straight into work. They thought we should tell them to relax.

Later, I asked the Ukrainian engineers what they thought of the meeting. They said it was a waste of time because the first ten minutes were spent talking about weekends instead of the project.

That moment really stuck with me. Same meeting. Completely different interpretations.

Vanielle
Yes, I experience that all the time.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
American culture is a mix of many cultures. Even within the US, California feels very different from New York.

I am curious how American managers are viewed from the outside.

Vanielle
From a Japanese perspective, American managers are often seen as more relaxed. Almost like a buddy rather than a boss.

In Japan and much of East Asia, hierarchy is very clear. Your boss is your boss. There are topics you do not bring up unless asked.

In order to relax that hierarchy, people often go out drinking together. Only after that social bonding does communication loosen.

In the US, especially in California, the line between manager and friend is much more blurred. That can be good, but it can also create confusion.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
That is interesting because in American culture, we encourage people to push back. I tell my team to argue with me if they think I am wrong.

In some Asian cultures, questioning your boss can be seen as disrespect or a sign of weak leadership.

Vanielle
Exactly. From that perspective, being asked to argue can actually reduce clarity. The employee thinks, why is the decision falling on me? You are the leader. I trust you to decide.

It is not resistance. It is trust in authority.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
That really reframes things.

Switching gears a bit, you work in consulting and talent services. How do you see that changing, especially with AI?

Vanielle
Consulting is changing fast.

Traditionally, junior consultants did research, seniors reviewed it, and firms sold polished reports. Now, juniors can generate reports with AI. That removes a big part of the traditional value chain.

Many consultants are realizing they can go independent. AI helps with research, but it cannot help you sell yourself or build trust. You still have to be the face.

That is where companies like OdeCloud try to help. AI accelerates the trend, but it does not replace the human side.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
I agree completely.

AI can write reports. It cannot know what it is doing. You still need someone who understands the problem.

We see more companies moving away from outsourcing firms and toward individual contributors. They want a person, not layers of management and bureaucracy.

At the end of the day, I want a good engineer solving problems with me.

Vanielle
Exactly.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
To wrap up, what advice would you give to someone working at or running an international company?

Vanielle
For employees, research the leadership team. That tells you a lot about the culture you are entering.

During interviews, talk to future coworkers about work style and expectations. Company culture matters as much as national culture.

For employers, hiring the wrong person is extremely expensive, especially in countries with strict labor laws. Hire carefully.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
Absolutely.

My rule is simple. Do not hire for skills. Hire for personality and ownership. Skills can be learned. Personality cannot.

Vanielle
I completely agree. Learning new skills is easier than ever. Changing who someone is takes a lifetime.

Zhenya Rozinskiy
Thank you so much. This was a great conversation and very different from most episodes.

Vanielle
Thank you for having me. I really enjoyed it.