AI-Era Problem, Pre-AI Solution
A CEO called me a few weeks ago.
His SaaS platform was a mess. He needed help sorting it out and preparing for scale.
Normal enough.
Then I asked about the team.
50 people in R&D.
That number alone told me most of what I needed to know.
In 2026, a SaaS platform with a few integrations shouldn’t need 50 engineers. I personally launch full products with 1 senior developer. Maybe 1.5 on a complex day.
Then he told me his monthly infrastructure cost.
My gut said he was paying roughly 6x what he should.
We had a clear path. Month one savings alone would have covered my fee several times over. But my rate felt too high and we couldn’t reach an agreement.
Fair enough. Not every engagement works out.
I was curious what he decided to do instead.
So I asked.
He hired an AI dev team.
He tried to solve an AI-era problem with a pre-AI solution.
That’s the irony.
He heard “AI” and thought it meant adding a new team. A new layer. More headcount wrapped in a trendy label.
AI doesn’t add people. It replaces the need for them.
The companies winning right now aren’t the ones hiring AI teams.
“How few people do we actually need to build this?”
That’s the question worth asking.
Adding headcount to solve a complexity problem is like pouring water on a grease fire.
It feels logical. It makes things worse.
The old playbook is dead.
Most people just haven’t buried it yet.
- Have you seen this pattern in your company or industry?
If your tech feels heavier than it should, let’s talk: https://lnkd.in/dBZ8xjEa