Pod vs IC

Currently the biggest reason why our clients love us is our pod model (which is the only model we provide to our clients)

An IC based in the US costs anywhere from 300K-500K total comp annually (+benefits). With that amount you can hire:

• 1 tech lead
• 2 to 3 senior engineers
• 1 QA

based in Vietnam. The benefits are multifold:

• better work productivity
• check and balance (resulting higher code quality)
• improved team morale

At first some clients were worried they would have to spend more time managing this team. But we have tech leads from FAANG companies (as well as English speaking, Vietnamese tech leads) on our payroll who can do this for them. 10/10 have responded to our survey mentioning this tech lead is crucial to the project's success since he:

• manages the team
• designs the technical system architeccture
• does daily standup with the client (ie the client's point of contact)

With a stable government that is doubling down on tech, a young population that is increasingly Westernized, an education system that highly values STEM fields, an influx of Vietnam-born tech professionals returning home, a fast and stable Internet connection, and a low cost of living, Vietnam is a rising dragon and those US companies who know know to take advantages of such trends will see their ROI realized many times over.