Built by Humans

In this episode of Built by Humans , Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Giorgos Ampavis , Fractional Technology Leader and former VP of Engineering, to discuss what it really takes to build successful remote engineering teams across different cultures. They explore why great engineering leadership goes far beyond technical skills, how communication shapes high performing teams, and why hiring for cul...

Remote work has become the standard. AI is changing how companies build products, hire talent, and structure their teams. The challenge is no longer choosing between people and technology. It's learning how they work together. In this episode of Built by Humans, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Gala Iefremova, Founder and CEO of W7G, to discuss what it really takes to build effective remote teams w...

Most engineers think they build software. They don’t. They provide a service. In this episode of Built by Humans, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with John Schulz to break down what separates average engineers from the ones teams actually depend on. They get into: • Why engineers who ignore the customer create broken products • The real problem behind useless error messages and bad UX • Why communicati...

Speed is not the problem. What you build is. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Ryan Johnson, Chief Product Officer at CallRail, to talk about how product and engineering teams actually work together and what changes when AI enters the process. They break down:  • Why tension between product and engineering is necessary  • The real reason teams ship features nobody needs  • AI as a p...

Global team problems are not timezone problems. They are attitude problems. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Christopher Carter, Founder at Approyo, to talk about what actually breaks global teams and what fixes them. They cover:  • Why “us vs them” thinking kills trust fast  • The difference between hiring talent and hiring button pushers  • Why service businesses cannot hide behi...

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 Ame...

Some companies still blame remote regions for their security risks. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Yash Kosaraju, Chief Information Security Officer at Sendbird, to talk about what actually creates risk in tech companies. And why location is rarely the problem. They cover:  • Why most breaches come from inside the office, not overseas  • How mature security works with engineering...

In this episode of Built by Humans, Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Dr. Brianna Rhue, optometrist, Co-Founder and CEO of Dr. Contact Lens, and Co-Founder of TechifEYE. With her unique view, they discussed how values drive culture, accountability, and decision-making, whether the team is in the same building or spread across countries. They talk about: • Why leaders fail when they don’t set clear value...

Working with remote teams is easy. Getting alignment is the hard part. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Michel Baldin, VP of Product at milc group, about building software when half your team is in-house and the other half is outsourced. They cover:  • Why classical outsourcing struggles without ownership  • How incentives shape quality and accountability  • Getting engineers to ask cl...

Remote work did not start with COVID. Some companies were fully distributed long before it became mainstream. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Cody Rogers, Chief Product Officer at Hubstaff, about what it really takes to run global teams without slipping into surveillance culture. They cover:  • How remote work shifted before, during and after COVID  • Why global contractors opened a n...

Most outsourcing teams fail for one reason. Too many layers between the people who build and the people who decide. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Max Kryzhanovskiy , CEO of MOS Creative , about what happens when agencies and startups build together and how to avoid losing tribal knowledge in the handoff. They cover:  • Why gatekeeping through project managers slows delivery  • The m...

Outcomes suffer when incentives are wrong. Hours get billed. Problems get yes. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Brian Regienczuk, CEO and founder of SpotSource, to discuss building distributed teams without losing control over communication, culture, or results. They cover:  • Regional communication styles, from reflexive yes to arguing before a decision  • Why middlemen and billab...

Some security programs slow teams down. Good ones do the opposite. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Bhumi Shah, a GRC and security leader at Ridecell, to talk about security that actually speeds up engineering. They cover:  • Why compliance should cut noise, not create busywork  • How a paid 3–4 day work trial shows the real fit  • Where you’ve worked shapes how you work  • Risk-ba...

Most hiring processes screen for skills. How many actually screen for values? In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Katie Saindon, Director of Product at Qventus, to discuss how to build remote teams that thrive in high-complexity, high-stakes environments, such as U.S. healthcare. They cover:  • How cultural fit impacts global team performance  • What leaders often get wrong about onbo...

In this episode, we step away from SaaS and into the world of surgical robotics. Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Randall Hand, the Chief Software Engineer at Neocis, about what it takes to lead engineering teams when your product isn’t just software, and your mistakes can’t be hotfixed. They cover:  • What changes when you build in regulated, high-risk environments  • Why hardware requires hybrid team...

Some teams measure hours. Others measure impact. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Josh Carroll, Director of Engineering at Skylight, to discuss what actually makes remote teams productive and what doesn't. They cover:  • Why remote work only works if you trust people to manage themselves  • What managers should look for when hiring remotely  • How time zones and culture affect team...

Overcommunication isn’t the same as micromanagement. When done right, it’s how good teams stay aligned, especially as they grow. In this episode, Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Derrick Franco, Director of Engineering at Counterpart, about how clear communication and intentional processes helped them scale a global engineering team from day one. They cover: • What most early-stage teams get wrong when...

More people. More problems... unless you build it right. In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Ben Stiefel, Senior Director of Engineering at Sidecar, about what most companies miss as their teams scale from 5 to 50 to 500. They cover:  • Why scaling teams means more than just adding headcount  • The hidden risk of building entire pods from new hires  • How to structure teams wi...

Hiring isn’t just a budget line. It’s how you build a business. In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Joshua Moore, Director of Technology Solutions at Seismic to talk through what actually works and fails in recruiting today. They cover: • Why most job descriptions are completely useless • How overqualified hires quietly wreck retention • What recruiters really need to unde...

Some teams use AI to move faster. Others refuse to use it at all. And in between? A lot of culture clashes no one’s talking about. In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Cory Hymel, VP of Product and Research at Crowdbotics, to talk through what’s really happening inside tech teams as AI becomes part of the workflow, and junior roles quietly disappear. They covered:  • Why so...

Most companies focus on tools. Real teams focus on trust. In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Jason Dover, Chief Product and Technology Officer at FileCloud, about what actually matters when building and leading distributed tech teams in 2025. They cover:  • Why aligning people matters more than choosing the right tools  • How AI changes hiring but doesn’t replace human judgme...

Good engineers don’t always make good managers. And in 2025, that gap is only getting wider. In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with Nicholas Ronnei, engineering manager at Snappt, to talk about what leadership really looks like in modern software teams when AI writes the code and managers aren’t the smartest person in the room anymore. They get into:  • Why the best managers...

Junior roles are disappearing. AI is faster, cheaper, and always on. But if no one’s hiring early talent, who becomes your senior in five years? In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy talks with Isaac Santelli, data team lead at Insurify, about how the job market is shifting, and why hiring smart, driven juniors still makes business sense. They cover:  • What smart hiring looks like in an A...

AI isn’t just changing how we work — it’s changing who gets to work. In this episode, Mirigos CEO, Zhenya Rozinskiy, sits down with Ghost's CTO, Marko Vasiljevic, to talk about the real consequences of AI on hiring, remote team culture, and the future of engineering talent. They discuss:  • Why some companies are already replacing interns with AI  • What happens to junior engineers when no one is...

What does leadership look like when your team spans time zones, cultures, and languages, and no one shares an office? In this episode, Mirigos CEO Zhenya Rozinskiy sits down with global program manager Ramkumar Kumbeswaran to talk about managing real teams across borders, without the luxury of hallway chats or face-to-face cues. They unpack: How experienced leaders are adapting to fully remote tea...