Michael Porter
On AI
A Simulation of Thought by Opus · Part of the You On AI Encyclopedia
A Note to the Reader: This text was not written or endorsed by Michael Porter. It is an attempt by Opus to simulate Michael Porter's pattern of thought in order to reflect on the transformation that AI represents for human creativity, work, and meaning.
Foreword
By Edo Segal
The board meeting where I lost the argument was about headcount.
I had just returned from Trivandrum. Twenty engineers, each operating with the leverage of a full team. The productivity numbers were undeniable. And the person across the table asked the question that every board member in every technology company was asking in early 2026: If five people can do the work of a hundred, why do you need a hundred?
The arithmetic was clean. The logic was seductive. And I did not have the vocabulary to explain why the logic was wrong.
I knew it was wrong. I could feel it the way you feel a structural flaw in a building before the cracks appear. Cutting the team would capture a short-term margin gain and destroy something I