Startups love to say they're flat organizations. Actually running that way? Much harder. But ONDA was different. The flat culture here is real — you can speak your mind without walking on eggshells.
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Hi! This is ONDA, the hospitality tech company.
Today we're sharing the story of one of our engineers.
ONDA's engineering team is a diverse bunch. We have a veteran engineer who's worked with our CEO Kevin for over a decade — a true full-stack engineer who handles everything from frontend to infrastructure. We've also got young engineers eager to grow at a startup, and developers who dive deep into business planning.
This interview is with Marcos, who joined us in early 2019. He worked as a developer in the U.S., moved to Korea nine years ago, and has been building his career here ever since.
Marcos says ONDA's engineering culture has clear strengths: engineers set their own schedules, and the flat structure isn't just talk — you can say anything. These aren't things you find everywhere. Let's hear more from our valued colleague, Marcos.
· Hi Marcos. Tell us about yourself.
Hi, I'm Marcos, a backend engineer at ONDA. I worked as a web developer in Chicago before moving to Korea about nine years ago to join a young game company. I've been with ONDA for about two years now.
· How did you end up at ONDA?
In early 2019, the company I was at got acquired, and I had to find a new job. My old office happened to be in the same building as ONDA — same floor, even. The CEOs knew each other. My former CEO recommended me to Kevin, ONDA's CEO, and I joined from there.
· What did you do before ONDA?
I spent the longest stretch at a game studio. It was a small startup short on engineers, so I did everything — game dev, web dev, infrastructure. Looking back, that's when I grew the most as a developer. After that, I worked at a few other companies, but honestly, some of those experiences were tough.
· What was difficult?
Korean corporate culture can be pretty hierarchical. Conservative. You had to be really careful when voicing opinions. To be honest, I spent a lot of time feeling self-conscious. Those environments just didn't suit me.
· So how is ONDA different?
A lot of startups claim to have flat cultures, but actually running one is hard. ONDA's different. The flat atmosphere here is real — speaking up is genuinely comfortable. So many times I've thought, "This feels just like the companies I worked at in the U.S."
· Can you give us an example?
I remember my first product planning meeting after joining. I had a lot I wanted to say, a lot I wanted to suggest. Of course, not every idea I pitched got implemented. But if I made a good case and people agreed it was better, they'd take it on board.
At previous companies, even when someone knew they were wrong, pride would get in the way — they wouldn't admit it. That makes work miserable, right? But at ONDA, you can speak freely, and when you suggest a better approach, people genuinely appreciate it.
· What's the biggest strength of ONDA's engineering team?
Engineers set their own schedules. When leadership sets bad timelines, the pressure is crushing. Here, because we set our own deadlines, we also feel more accountable for meeting them.
· Any other strengths?
We adopt new technologies smoothly. For a tech startup like ONDA, falling behind on tech adoption means losing competitive edge. For engineers like me, it means falling behind personally. Having a CEO who's an engineer himself makes a real difference — the understanding here is just different from other companies.
· What was challenging?
Understanding the industry was tough. You can't build good services without that. The hospitality business is complex — even just understanding room rate structures took me a while. Terms like channel manager, PMS, booking engine were all new. The first six months were rough.
I did a lot of self-study, and my colleagues helped a lot.
· ONDA is always hiring engineers. What would you say to someone thinking of applying?
At ONDA, you can voice your opinions freely. We spend time analyzing and discussing new technologies. That means there's a lot of room for engineers to grow.
So I hope open-minded people apply. I often ask colleagues for input, or they'll ask me to change how I'm doing something because there's a more efficient way.
If they convince me, I'm happy to change my approach. I'd love to see more people like that at ONDA.
· Thank you so much for your time.
That was our conversation with Marcos, a valued member of the ONDA team! Thank you.