So much of the conversation around AI is negative. Company downsizing. Redundancies.
YouTube videos scream:
I’m firing my ENTIRE team and hiring a space lobster. Here‘s how!
Well, I’ve hired the lobster, and I have a different take.
A true story:
2025 was not the year. At least for me and many others I’ve spoken to. It was a challenging year for small business in many respects.
One domain in particular, though, improved massively: AI’s ability to write and ship fire code. Claude Code, in particular, and its Opus 4.5 model. It’s an exponential leap.
And then January introduced OpenClaw, formerly known as Clawdbot.
The little space lobster gave us a gift. An imperfect but jaw-dropping glimpse into what the truly autonomous AI future looks like.
Even for all its quirks… its breathtaking.
Yeah, recommend you be a serious nerd to use it right now.
But six months? Nah, there will be a normie version for sure. It’s coming.
This doesn’t have to mean downsizing though. In fact I think it may end up being the opposite.
Right now as a solopreneur, I have a level of agency I have never had before.
My productivity has multiplied … 6x? At least? Trying not to be hyperbolic here (I wanted to say 100x and 10x is cliche, so six it is).
I am WAY more productive.
This means, Lord willing, my business should grow at a pace this year unlike any pace I’ve experienced in the past.
Now the hustle bros online have an interpretation of what this means: “You can build a 1 Billion dollar solo company for the first time!”
Okay. Maybe. Cool to think it’s even possible.
But like… should you? Should you run a BILLION dollar company with an agent/human ratio of 100:1? Probably not.
As I was working on my own autonomous setup last night, the thought occured to me, once this system I’ve built starts really firing on all cylinders, I’ll have to hire some people to help me manage it.
Wow. What a strange thought to have! See apparently I’m supposed to be thinking, “HAHA humans – suck it! I don‘t need you anymore!”
But… that’s not at all what I think.
Instead I’m thinking, wow, if I had another human who understood this system even half as well as I did, we could probably add another 3/4x improvement over my own accomplishments with it.
All I’m saying is, give the AI future a chance. Humans have always moved into new levels of value creation with the introduction of new technology.
I know, I know. “It’s different this time.”
It… is. Yes. It is a little different this time. But it could be different in the best way the world has seen.
It could be different in a way that gets more humans living into their God-given potential and using creative thought to change the world instead of “working for the man.”
That, see, is the strategic shift I have made.
With few exceptions I no longer have thoughts of hiring technicians. That’s what everyone’s worried about.
I want to hire people with vision. Who see a little differently. Who understand complex systems or know how or could learn how to manage them.
Those people are harder to come by and they are more expensive. BUT this is what the current AI reality makes possible!
My virtual team can help me get past the required startup ceilings to aquire the capital necessary, without any venture funding or backing whatsoever.
It is possible to have the output of a 10 person team by yourself right now. Take it to a million or two and then hire. Idk. The point’s simple: it’s possible now.
I hear your objection. “Why wouldn‘t everyone just do this?!”
Two responses:
- Everyone won’t. Some people like being a technician doing a certain thing working for other people.
- If they did, wonderful! They‘ll make more money, honestly. Fine by me if every person gets a billion dollar solo business.
So don’t be negative. Be optimistic. Lean into the possibilities of this AI future.
Do it responsibly, though. Reach for the rewards and mitigate against the risks. Think of ways to make other humans part of what you’re doing, not ostracize or replace them, and you will make a difference as a positive contributor to the wellbeing of the world.
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