Projects hiring "native English speakers" — is this actually for business or just flex?
If it's for business, demanding "native-level" in ANY language is a vague, lazy proxy metric.
A Singaporean and an American don't share the same cultural context. A 3000-word vocab American kid and a redneck farmer are both "native speakers." Being Chinese doesn't mean you can close deals with people from Malaysia, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
I could handle English for work/study early on, but before going abroad I knew fewer than 10 vegetable names. My Singaporean friend was shocked I didn't know what a sweet potato was.
What matters in business comms: precision in understanding + expression, plus negotiation skills. That's way more tied to education, logic, and empathy than "native speaker" status.
- For social: instinct, internet feel, and timing > grammatically correct English
- For product marketing: understanding people, social dynamics, psychology > naming buttons
- For BD: proactive sourcing + accountability to close loops > "chatting with foreigners"
AI has dropped the barrier for "producing written English" to near zero. Capable non-natives can now compete more freely without impostor syndrome.
Say a project is hiring a community manager:
- Candidate A: US-raised PhD in literature, zero crypto knowledge
- Candidate B: Chinese college student, English CET-6, 1 year in crypto
- Candidate C: Vietnamese high school grad, trading for 8 years
I see zero reason to pick A — unless the goal is optics or the boss wants a foreigner as the face. That's a different game.
If it's for business, demanding "native-level" in ANY language is a vague, lazy proxy metric.
A Singaporean and an American don't share the same cultural context. A 3000-word vocab American kid and a redneck farmer are both "native speakers." Being Chinese doesn't mean you can close deals with people from Malaysia, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
I could handle English for work/study early on, but before going abroad I knew fewer than 10 vegetable names. My Singaporean friend was shocked I didn't know what a sweet potato was.
What matters in business comms: precision in understanding + expression, plus negotiation skills. That's way more tied to education, logic, and empathy than "native speaker" status.
- For social: instinct, internet feel, and timing > grammatically correct English
- For product marketing: understanding people, social dynamics, psychology > naming buttons
- For BD: proactive sourcing + accountability to close loops > "chatting with foreigners"
AI has dropped the barrier for "producing written English" to near zero. Capable non-natives can now compete more freely without impostor syndrome.
Say a project is hiring a community manager:
- Candidate A: US-raised PhD in literature, zero crypto knowledge
- Candidate B: Chinese college student, English CET-6, 1 year in crypto
- Candidate C: Vietnamese high school grad, trading for 8 years
I see zero reason to pick A — unless the goal is optics or the boss wants a foreigner as the face. That's a different game.