| Who writes the code | The senior who scoped it writes it | Sales and PM win it; subcontractors build it | An offshore team builds via a bridge engineer |
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| Subcontracting | None, never subcontracted | Multiple layers by default | Overseas hand-off is the model |
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| Code ownership | Your repo from day one; full assignment on final payment | Varies by contract; often becomes a black box | Handover and lock-in risk |
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| NDA, DPA, audit logs | Standard, with no subcontractor chain to leak through | Hard to enforce down the chain | Cross-border transfer and re-subcontracting blur the scope |
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| Continuity from scope to build | One senior, end to end | Scoping and building are split across teams | Split across onshore design and offshore build |
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| Getting started | Small, fixed scope: a working PoC/MVP in 2-6 weeks | Months of proposals, estimates, and team assembly | Time to recruit, onboard, and ramp a team |
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