September 3, 2025
September 3, 2025
September 3, 2025
Building the greatest computer vision team in Singapore.
I used to think the only way to build was to chase the noise in San Francisco—until I saw a $400-a-month flat in Kuala Lumpur filled with GPUs, where a grad student was solving problems no Valley team was even thinking about.
I used to think the only way to build was to chase the noise in San Francisco—until I saw a $400-a-month flat in Kuala Lumpur filled with GPUs, where a grad student was solving problems no Valley team was even thinking about.
The best people aren’t in Silicon Valley—but the best who can get to Silicon Valley, are already there. San Francisco is saturated with hype, trend chasing, and sky-high costs, while Southeast Asia harbors deep, underutilized AI and vision talent waiting for real opportunity. With factors aligning—from major growth stemming from SE Asia to a $100K H-1B barrier to entry—the case for rooting high ambition in Singapore has never been stronger.
The Best People Aren’t in Silicon Valley (But the Best Who Can Be Already Are)
Silicon Valley has long been idolized as the epicenter of tech, but the myth obscures a deeper truth: when everyone chases the same prize, you get crowds, hype, and echo chambers - not creativity. The best people are not in Silicon Valley - but the best who can end up there already are. Meanwhile, underleveraged talent across Southeast Asia is forced into finance, “safe” roles, or relocates simply to cross the threshold. It’s time to reframe where excellence lives.
1. The Valley Is Saturated With Signal - and Noise
San Francisco is grand, but overhyped. When you see everyone chasing the same frameworks, the same investments, the same “unicorn playbooks,” it becomes harder to see something fundamental. The cost of living is astronomical; the social aura pressures people into trend chasing. Worse: it breeds groupthink. The people who actually move the frontier often don’t flourish in hype zones - they blossom where constraints demand clarity.
2. Untapped Talent in SE Asia
There is deep, often invisible machine-learning and computer-vision talent across Southeast Asia. Many of these engineers, researchers, and thinkers are currently diverted to banking, consulting, or non-technical roles - not for lack of ability but for lack of opportunity. One massive lever is simply giving them the ability to join meaningful tech work locally. Recruit today where the opportunity exists tomorrow.
3. The Rising Wave of Asia’s Reassertion
Parag Khanna argues that we’re living through the Asian century - a reorientation of global power, trade, culture, and infrastructure toward Asia. Tech is no exception. The capital, talent, and ambition are rebalancing. If you build roots in Asia now, you ride that wave rather than scramble for scraps of Western hype.
4. When the U.S. Throws Up Barriers, Talent Will Land Elsewhere
The recent announcement that U.S. firms will need to pay a $100,000 annual fee for new H-1B visas marks a turning point in the global war for talent. While incumbents may absorb the cost, startups and growing tech hubs will struggle. That change doesn’t just make U.S. recruitment harder - it opens the door for others. If you were choosing a place to anchor yourself or your company, the math shifts suddenly.
5. Why We’re Planting Roots in Singapore
We’re not just positioning ourselves in Southeast Asia; we’re choosing to build deeply. Singapore offers stable regulation, robust infrastructure, and a rising reputation. We aim to attract regional and global talent by creating the technical gravity - turning it from “move to SV” to “move to SG.” Visa challenges, visa costs, crazed competition - those are constraints we can navigate more creatively here.
Closing Thoughts
The narrative that “Silicon Valley has all the talent” is busted. Many of our greatest minds live in places defined by underinvestment, not undercapacity. The future will not hinge on who wins in San Francisco, but who shows up where the land is tilled, not over-watered. If the Asian century is real, then our best move is not to chase shadows of U.S. prestige, but to build on foundations that let talent breathe, experiment, and lead.
The best people aren’t in Silicon Valley—but the best who can get to Silicon Valley, are already there. San Francisco is saturated with hype, trend chasing, and sky-high costs, while Southeast Asia harbors deep, underutilized AI and vision talent waiting for real opportunity. With factors aligning—from major growth stemming from SE Asia to a $100K H-1B barrier to entry—the case for rooting high ambition in Singapore has never been stronger.
The Best People Aren’t in Silicon Valley (But the Best Who Can Be Already Are)
Silicon Valley has long been idolized as the epicenter of tech, but the myth obscures a deeper truth: when everyone chases the same prize, you get crowds, hype, and echo chambers - not creativity. The best people are not in Silicon Valley - but the best who can end up there already are. Meanwhile, underleveraged talent across Southeast Asia is forced into finance, “safe” roles, or relocates simply to cross the threshold. It’s time to reframe where excellence lives.
1. The Valley Is Saturated With Signal - and Noise
San Francisco is grand, but overhyped. When you see everyone chasing the same frameworks, the same investments, the same “unicorn playbooks,” it becomes harder to see something fundamental. The cost of living is astronomical; the social aura pressures people into trend chasing. Worse: it breeds groupthink. The people who actually move the frontier often don’t flourish in hype zones - they blossom where constraints demand clarity.
2. Untapped Talent in SE Asia
There is deep, often invisible machine-learning and computer-vision talent across Southeast Asia. Many of these engineers, researchers, and thinkers are currently diverted to banking, consulting, or non-technical roles - not for lack of ability but for lack of opportunity. One massive lever is simply giving them the ability to join meaningful tech work locally. Recruit today where the opportunity exists tomorrow.
3. The Rising Wave of Asia’s Reassertion
Parag Khanna argues that we’re living through the Asian century - a reorientation of global power, trade, culture, and infrastructure toward Asia. Tech is no exception. The capital, talent, and ambition are rebalancing. If you build roots in Asia now, you ride that wave rather than scramble for scraps of Western hype.
4. When the U.S. Throws Up Barriers, Talent Will Land Elsewhere
The recent announcement that U.S. firms will need to pay a $100,000 annual fee for new H-1B visas marks a turning point in the global war for talent. While incumbents may absorb the cost, startups and growing tech hubs will struggle. That change doesn’t just make U.S. recruitment harder - it opens the door for others. If you were choosing a place to anchor yourself or your company, the math shifts suddenly.
5. Why We’re Planting Roots in Singapore
We’re not just positioning ourselves in Southeast Asia; we’re choosing to build deeply. Singapore offers stable regulation, robust infrastructure, and a rising reputation. We aim to attract regional and global talent by creating the technical gravity - turning it from “move to SV” to “move to SG.” Visa challenges, visa costs, crazed competition - those are constraints we can navigate more creatively here.
Closing Thoughts
The narrative that “Silicon Valley has all the talent” is busted. Many of our greatest minds live in places defined by underinvestment, not undercapacity. The future will not hinge on who wins in San Francisco, but who shows up where the land is tilled, not over-watered. If the Asian century is real, then our best move is not to chase shadows of U.S. prestige, but to build on foundations that let talent breathe, experiment, and lead.
