At ONDA, we don't see developers as people who simply 'build what we ask for.' We see them as partners who bring their expertise to the table, collaborate with business minds, and co-create the best products together.
Hi, I'm Oh Hyun-seok, CEO of ONDA.
We're always hiring great engineers at ONDA. During interviews, I ask a lot of questions — but I often feel like I don't get enough time to properly introduce myself and the company. So I wanted to write this down.
ONDA is a hospitality tech company and B2B platform for the accommodation industry. Over the past five years, we've grown fast. We've raised ₩10 billion in funding — rare for a "tech-first B2B startup." Here's how we've performed:
I actually started my career as a developer at Nexon. I'd been hooked on programming since school — it let me build things I wanted, from scratch. But the "dev environment" at that first job was nothing like the programming I fell in love with.
I don't know how things are now, but back then it felt like stamping out uniform parts on an assembly line. Far from the kind of development I wanted to do. Eventually, I realized: if I wanted to build what I cared about, I'd have to run my own business. That led me to founding ONDA.
What ONDA looks for in great engineers
That's why I don't want our dev team to just churn out whatever management and business units ask for. The more engineers understand the product and the business, the more competitive the outcome.
The classic waterfall model has business people designing the product unilaterally. Developers build to spec. The result? Half-baked products and strategies. With agile, engineers think about business impact while working. They use limited dev resources efficiently and ship services the market actually needs.
Yes, it means engineers have to understand the business deeply and communicate more with non-engineers. It takes longer upfront. But once the project gains momentum, we've seen better results every time.
At ONDA, we don't see developers as people who simply "build what we ask for." We see them as partners who bring their expertise to the table, collaborate with business minds, and co-create the best products together.
As CEO, I sometimes make urgent, business-first calls — I can't help it. But I try my hardest not to let poor communication tank morale. Beyond that, we make sure engineers have what they need to focus: great equipment, remote work, flexible hours. The basics.
Why ONDA needs great engineers
The hospitality industry lags way behind other sectors in tech adoption.
Which means there's a ton of work to do. Even after five years of steady R&D investment and building a lot of tech, COVID has accelerated digitalization much faster than we expected.
We need to ship products fast to meet market demand. And with advances in hardware (network speed, CPUs) and AI, we can now solve problems that used to require human labor — with tech.
ONDA is aggressive about adopting, testing, and launching new technology. As a CEO who came from engineering, I can promise you that with confidence.
What engineers get at ONDA
ONDA's mission is simple: let hotel and accommodation owners focus on the core — providing the best sleep and service. That's the human part of hospitality. Everything else? We handle with tech.
Simple mission. But technically very hard. We've been at it for five years. We'll need another 10, maybe 20. There's still so much to build. That's why we keep hiring.
ONDA is also a great place for engineers to grow.
To level up, you need two things: challenging problems and great teammates to solve them with. Fortunately, ONDA has no shortage of challenging problems.
And we're constantly thinking about how to surround you with the best teammates. Of course, none of this matters without your own drive and effort. But we'll give you the environment.
Come join us. Take on the challenge. Grow with us. Share in the rewards. At ONDA, engineers get to experience more than just engineering.