Interview with Joe Baz, Founder and CEO, Musubi Tech

Joe, can you tell us about your professional background and what led you to focus on multicultural leadership in Japan’s tech ecosystem?

My career didn’t begin in technology in a conventional way. I started in art school, where curiosity led me to teach myself web design and programming, opening the door to my first role in Silicon Valley and later to web marketing work in Washington, DC for a large telecommunications company.

I eventually moved into freelancing and built a UX consulting business that grew to seven figures over a decade. After selling the company, I worked at a supply chain tech startup and later spent six years as a UX Director at a healthcare IT company, co-leading multiple product and engineering teams.

In 2023, my family and I moved to Matsudo, Chiba, where my wife is from. That relocation led me to found Musubi Tech in 2024, focused on helping technology leaders build stronger, more sustainable teams. I also serve part-time as Head of Design at Kimaru, a startup using AI to improve decision-making in global supply chains.

My focus on multicultural leadership is personal as well as professional. As a parent raising bicultural children, I became more aware of the gaps and opportunities in how Japanese and international talent collaborate, and Musubi Tech emerged directly from that insight.

Musubi Tech’s real value lies in personal introductions and ‘opening doors.’ Are you technically architecting a social graph to eventually automate this value, or does the platform rely entirely on manual operations?

At some point, we consider this, but right now, we are trying to validate a business model in the leanest, most cost-effective way. If we prove the model works, then we will, of course, seek ways to optimize and scale that model, and technology will surely be factored into the solutioning process.

You recruit volunteers for ‘hands-on engineering experience,’ which inherently implies a transient, high-turnover team. How do you technically architect your platform to survive this lack of continuity? Have you adopted a strict micro-services approach to isolate volunteer code, or do you have a strict documentation standards to ensure that project momentum survives when individual contributors move on?

We are in the process of revisiting the types of volunteers we support as we have certainly had transient volunteers, but we’ve also had volunteers that have been with us since the inception of Musubi Tech (1.5 years). We are revisiting the volunteer experience and trying to align our volunteers needs with our business needs. We currently use Notion and Google Drive to handle information sharing with volunteers, and probably won’t look deeper than that in the short term as it is not mission critical.

You spent 6 years leading US-India R&D teams before coming to Japan. Walk us through your journey from studying cultural intelligence frameworks to developing your current approach. What made you realize that traditional frameworks weren’t enough?

Like many people, I initially turned to frameworks such as Hofstede and Trompenaars. They’re useful, but I learned fairly quickly that relying on them too heavily can lead to assumptions. I once assumed a Japanese startup CEO needed help becoming more direct in communication, only to realize he was already very comfortable with that style.

A cultural intelligence coach I worked with, Alena Ipanova, reinforced an important lesson for me. She emphasized that real cultural intelligence comes from authentic connection, not categorization. Culture matters, but curiosity and empathy matter more.

When I led US–India teams, I didn’t follow a cultural playbook. I focused on compassion, curiosity, and trust. In Japan, that mindset has translated into learning the language and paying attention to small details. For example, phrases like shitsurei shimasu reveal a lot about how respect and awareness of others are embedded in daily communication. These nuances are best learned through lived experience, not theory.

What have you learned about creating psychological safety across culturally diverse teams?

With my US–India teams, we made teaching and learning core values. Mistakes were treated as opportunities, not failures. We encouraged people to form and express their own opinions, even when feedback was conflicting.

One senior manager from India stands out. Initially, he agreed with everything. Over time, as trust grew, he became comfortable pushing back and engaging in real dialogue. That shift changed the quality of our collaboration.

What I’ve learned is that psychological safety often outweighs cultural knowledge. You don’t need to understand every nuance if people feel respected, heard, and supported.

You’ve observed international founders struggling to sell B2B tech products in Japan. What’s the core mismatch?

The biggest difference is sequencing. In many Western contexts, the cost-to-value conversation happens early. Japanese business coaches consistently emphasize building trust first. That means understanding the person, their role, and their challenges before positioning your product.

Co-selling with a Japanese partner can also be incredibly effective. It provides credibility and helps navigate communication and expectations. This approach isn’t universal, but it’s particularly helpful when working with more traditional organizations.

You often talk about ‘cultural gray zones.’ Can you share an example of how leaders can navigate them?

One concept that has influenced me deeply is omotenashi, the idea of anticipating others’ needs. Early on, I tried to apply this heavily when designing Musubi Tech programs. At one point, I realized I was over-optimizing features instead of testing the core idea.

By stripping some features back and launching faster, I learned that the real value wasn’t just coaching, but opening doors and enabling meaningful connections. In other contexts, such as events, optimization mattered more because trust and brand perception were at stake.

Cultural gray zones aren’t about choosing one philosophy over another. They’re about clarifying what you’re trying to learn, what trade-offs you’re making, and how much trust is required in that moment.

For IT leaders reading this who manage international teams or operate across cultural contexts, what are 3-5 practical steps they can take immediately to improve their effectiveness in cultural gray zones?

Tip 1: Pause before responding. Stephen Covey popularized this idea. Take a moment to reflect before reacting, especially if someone’s communication style, vocabulary, or mannerisms are not what you expect.

Tip 2: Be intentional and flexible. Clarifying your goals, whether personal or business, will guide how you communicate or collaborate with people from different backgrounds. Avoid saying only what you think others want to hear. Instead, return to your goals and choose the approach that will help you reach them. Sometimes this means adapting to the situation, and sometimes it means sharing your own cultural perspective.

Tip 3: Take time to learn cultural norms, then ask why they exist. The more you know about someone’s culture, the easier it is to apply the first two tips. Remember that people are not defined only by their culture; they are shaped by personality, experiences, and upbringing. Use cultural knowledge to inform your understanding, not to predict or judge behavior.

After 6 years leading international tech teams and 2 years working specifically with Japanese leaders, how has your understanding of multicultural leadership evolved? What do you wish you’d known earlier?

I used to believe multiculturalism alone was the key to business success. Now I see that emotional intelligence is just as critical. Cultural awareness without empathy and psychological safety doesn’t work.

I don’t wish I’d learned these lessons faster. The trial and error was necessary. It shaped how I lead today and reminds me to stay present, curious, and open.

For young professionals aspiring to lead international tech teams or build businesses across cultural contexts, what advice would you offer on mindset, skills, and navigating the cultural complexity of global tech environments?

First, seek hands-on exposure to cultural complexity rather than relying on theory. The most effective way to navigate cross-cultural challenges is by engaging directly, learning through experience, and, where possible, investing in language skills, since language often carries a culture’s deepest values and social cues.

Second, be honest with yourself about leadership aspirations. Leadership is demanding and often misunderstood from the outside, so take time to speak with people you admire, observe their daily responsibilities, and, if possible, learn through mentorship or shadowing rather than idealized assumptions.

Third, intentionally build a support system that helps you grow. Coaching, professional communities, and structured learning resources can provide perspective and resilience, while books and formal training can strengthen both emotional intelligence and personal leadership skills.

Fourth, take initiative and act before conditions feel perfect. Look for opportunities within your current role or side projects to lead, experiment, and build influence, using real-world experiences to sharpen communication, decision-making, and execution while continuing to deliver on core responsibilities.