The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu #529 AI Meets Talent: Federico Ramallo on Automating Tech Hiring Without Losing the Human Touch
In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Federico Ramallo, founder of Density Labs and Prevetted AI, to explore how technology, culture, and human connection intersect in building world-class engineering teams.
From managing nearshore teams in Mexico to scaling engineering partnerships for U.S. startups, Federico shares the secrets behind a 6-year average retention rate, and why trust, ownership, and transparent communication are the real differentiators.
They also dive into how AI is reshaping technical hiring, when to trust automation, and why the human layer still matters more than ever in the future of work.
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👤 About the Guest
Federico Ramallo is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, and founder of Density Labs, a boutique engineering firm connecting U.S. companies with top Latin American talent, and Prevetted AI, a platform using AI and human judgment to screen and match world-class engineers.
He is also co-author of Open the Valve: The New Path to Creative Play and host of the Prevetted Podcast.
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🧩 Key Takeaways
• How to build remote engineering teams that last for years, not months
• Why empathy and feedback loops are key to retention
• How to balance human screening with AI automation
• The cultural nuances that make or break nearshore success
• Why honesty and transparency are non-negotiable in global teams
• What AI can and can’t replace in tech hiring
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📚 What Listeners Will Learn
• The operational systems behind high-performing global teams
• How startups can use AI responsibly in recruitment
• The power of under-promising and over-delivering in remote work
• Practical lessons for CTOs hiring beyond their borders
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🕒 Episode Highlights (Timestamps)
00:00 – Introduction and Federico’s journey from Argentina to Mexico
04:00 – Building Density Labs: solving the outsourcing “trust gap”
10:00 – Quality, ownership, and feedback in remote engineering
15:00 – How Prevetted AI combines AI agents with human screening
23:00 – The impact of culture and communication on remote success
27:00 – Achieving 6-year retention in engineering teams
35:00 – Training programs and building future-ready engineers
43:00 – Honest conversations about AI in recruitment
47:00 – Will AI replace engineers? The real answer
49:00 – Lessons from cross-border collaboration
55:00 – Federico’s books, podcast, and creative philosophy
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🔗 Resources Mentioned
• Prevetted AI: https://prevetted.ai/
• Density Labs: https://densitylabs.io/
• Open the Valve: The New Path to Creative Play (book)
• Prevetted Podcast: https://prevetted.ai/podcast