Here’s the premise: Value Creation > Cost Reduction
The promise of AI is that you will be able to do more with less. And that “less” means fewer people. This is true, but it’s not the full story. Most companies obsess over cost reduction. Fewer employees. Fewer tools. Fewer expenses. They think efficiency is the path to winning.
Everyone says AI is the great equalizer. That it gives everyone the same shot. They’re wrong. I’ve spent eight years building AI companies and the last two helping businesses implement AI. Here’s what I’m actually seeing: AI is creating the biggest capability gap in modern business. And most companies are on the wrong side of it.
Nobody likes to fail. Yet most people, and most companies, claim they value learning. There’s your problem right there. Real learning comes from trying things with high uncertainty. And high uncertainty means frequent failure. You can’t have one without the other.
Executives keep asking me the same question: if we automate away the boring work, will our people lose their creative edge? I understand the concern. A recent Wall Street Journal article captured it perfectly, arguing that delegating mundane tasks to AI eliminates the very boredom that sparks creativity. Fewer dull moments means fewer breakthroughs.
AI is impressive. It’s fast, tireless, and increasingly capable. But we’ve gotten sloppy about what it can’t do, and what humans are quietly abandoning.
A friend called me a few days ago to tell me she had finally quit her job. She’d been miserable for years. She couldn’t stand her boss. She couldn’t stand the environment.
One significant limit to AI adoption is human imagination. That’s what everyone says, anyway. But let me tell you what’s really happening: business leaders aren’t waiting for inspiration. They’re waiting for permission.
