I’m going to say something that might sound crazy. The key to unlocking massive productivity with AI is to actually do less. I’m not kidding. After two successful exits and over 200 angel investments in companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, I’ve seen firsthand how most companies are getting it wrong. Dead wrong.
A recent study just confirmed my gut feeling: a staggering 66% of companies are failing to see any real return on their AI investments. They’re pouring millions into fancy tools and platforms, only to end up with frustrated teams and bloated expenses. I’ve been there. I’ve made the same mistakes. And after years of trial and error, I’ve finally cracked the code on what I call “AI coworking.”
This isn’t another fluffy blog post about the “future of work.” This is the raw, unfiltered story of my struggles and hard-won victories. I’m sharing it so you can skip the mistakes and get straight to the results.
The Hype is a Trap
Let’s be honest. The AI hype cycle is out of control. Every day, there’s a new tool that promises to revolutionize your business. We’re told that if we’re not using AI for everything, we’re already behind. So what do we do? We buy the tools. We force them on our teams. We expect magic to happen.
But it doesn’t. Why? Because we’re focusing on the wrong thing. We’re obsessed with the what—the tools, the technology—instead of the how. How does this actually make our lives easier? How does it improve the way we work together? How does it create a better experience for our customers?
I learned this the hard way at RemoteTeam. We were a fully remote company before it was cool. We were using all the latest and greatest tools for collaboration. But we were still struggling with communication bottlenecks and project delays. We were drowning in a sea of notifications, and our team was burning out.
So, I did what any good entrepreneur would do. I threw more technology at the problem. I bought a new project management tool with “AI-powered” features. I set up a dozen new automations. And you know what happened? Nothing. In fact, things got worse. The team was more confused than ever, and I had just wasted a ton of money.
Doing Less to Achieve More
It was at this point that I had my epiphany. I was so focused on adding more that I never stopped to think about what we could take away. What if, instead of trying to do everything faster, we tried to do less? What if we used AI to automate the boring, repetitive tasks that were draining our energy and creativity?
This is the core idea behind AI coworking. It’s not about replacing humans with robots. It’s about augmenting human intelligence. It’s about creating a partnership between people and AI, where each plays to their strengths.
We started small. We identified one of our biggest time-sucks: creating meeting summaries. It was a thankless task that nobody wanted to do. So, we found an AI tool that could automatically transcribe and summarize our calls. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
And the results were immediate. The team was happier. They had more time to focus on the work that actually mattered. And our meetings became more productive because we knew that everything was being captured.
From there, we started to look for other opportunities to apply this “do less” philosophy. We used AI to automate our social media scheduling, our customer support triage, and even our initial candidate screening. With each new automation, we freed up more time and mental space for our team to do what they do best: be creative, solve problems, and build relationships.
Building an AI-Ready Culture
Of course, it’s not as simple as just plugging in a few tools. You need to build a culture that is ready to embrace AI. This means a few things:
- Psychological Safety: Your team needs to feel safe to experiment and fail. Not every AI tool is going to be a winner. And that’s okay. The goal is to learn and iterate.
- Transparency: Be open and honest with your team about how you’re using AI. Explain the why behind your decisions. And give them a voice in the process.
- Focus on Outcomes: Don’t get bogged down in the details of the technology. Focus on the outcomes you’re trying to achieve. How will this make your team more productive? How will it improve your customer experience?
One of the most powerful ways we built this culture was by rethinking our approach to performance reviews. Instead of relying on subjective feedback and gut feelings, we started using AI to analyze our communication data. We could see who was collaborating effectively, who was getting siloed, and who was at risk of burnout. This allowed us to have more objective, data-driven conversations with our team and provide them with the support they needed to be successful.
The Future of Work is Asynchronous
As a digital nomad who has been working remotely for over a decade, I’m a huge believer in the power of asynchronous communication. It’s the key to unlocking a truly global and diverse talent pool. And AI is going to make it even more powerful.
Imagine a world where you can have a conversation with a colleague in a different time zone without ever having to be online at the same time. You can send them a message, and an AI will translate it into their native language and deliver it to them in a way that is most convenient for them. They can then respond in their own time, and the AI will translate it back to you.
This is not science fiction. This is the future of work. And it’s a future that I’m incredibly excited about. It’s a future where we can work from anywhere, at any time, and still feel connected to our team. It’s a future where we can finally break free from the 9-to-5 and design our work around our lives, not the other way around.
So, if you’re one of the 66% of companies that are failing at AI, I want you to know that there is hope. It’s not about buying more tools or hiring more consultants. It’s about changing your mindset. It’s about doing less to achieve more. It’s about embracing the power of AI coworking.
And if you’re a founder or an investor who is looking for the next big thing, I encourage you to look for the companies that are building the tools and platforms that are going to make this future a reality. Because that’s where the real opportunity lies. That’s where we’re going to see the next wave of innovation. And that’s where I’m placing my bets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.
What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
How can I apply this thinking to my own situation?
Start by identifying the core principle behind the opinion, not the specific example. Then ask yourself: does this principle apply to my context? If yes, test it in a small, low-risk way before going all in.