Freeze headcount until AI becomes the true production line

This article summarizes an episode of SEO of Startups’s video series featuring Tiwa York, the founder of Kaidee.

Founder of Kaidee, Tiwa York/ Photo credit: Tiwa York

Tiwa York, the founder of Thai online marketplace Kaidee, advises executives on structuring their organizations for speed. He tells leaders to pause hiring until their current teams actively use AI.

This is because hiring people before mastering automation adds management layers and slows operations. Prioritizing these tools allows a team to scale smoothly without creating complicated reporting structures.

Moving through automation stages

Scaling smoothly requires discipline because employees often treat new tools as toys rather than functional equipment. To achieve actual output, leaders must guide their organizations through specific steps:

• Level zero: Employees remain unaware the new tools exist.
• Level one: Individuals test basic tools for emails or translations for entertainment.
• Level two: Teams test automation on contained projects within their own departments.
• Level three: The entire company integrates automation into daily work.
• Level four: The organization builds its entire operation around automation.

Organizations often stall after completing these initial test projects. York observes, “Most of the companies I have seen are stuck in the middle mode.”

To move forward, he pushes his clients to move past this barrier and apply the tools universally.

Treating technology as an assembly line
Applying these tools universally means viewing automation as a foundation rather than a basic software update.

York sees a true productivity shift occurs only when workers treat AI as their actual production line. Instead of trying to finish an isolated task, teams start improving the entire workflow.

This mindset allows companies to build their own tools rapidly. York notes some clients replaced expensive management software in four days, while others rebuilt customer databases with eight hours of coding.

As a result, these internal builds directly threaten external companies selling software subscriptions.

Managing system memory loss

While building internal tools increases speed, using advanced systems also causes frustration because the programs forget previous conversations. Managers must constantly repeat basic instructions.

York notes, “This is the most capable intern you have ever had, and the most forgetful intern you have ever had.”

Creating systems to retain information

Avoiding short-term business ideas

Building a lasting business model