Most leaders are still stuck in a linear mindset. We have been taught for decades that to double our output, we must double our headcount. It is a simple, comfortable equation that is now completely broken. In the age of AI, thinking of hiring as a 1:1 ratio of people to production is a structural error that will leave your company behind.
Think of the movie The Matrix. When Neo finally understands the code of the world around him, he does not just become a slightly better fighter. He becomes a multiplier. He can manipulate the environment and move at speeds that were previously impossible. He is no longer bound by the standard rules of the simulation.
AI is that code for our modern workforce. I wrote about this recently in The End of Entry Level, and this post expands on that concept.
You should no longer be looking for “employees” to fill a seat and perform a task. You need to hire multipliers. These are individuals who understand how to leverage AI to achieve 10x or 100x the output of a traditional hire.
When I was the Head of Growth at Superpages, we took organic revenue growth from 11% to 164%. We did that by focusing on high-leverage growth strategies, not just by throwing more people at the problem.
Today, that same level of acceleration is possible with a fraction of the team size if those people are multipliers. You do not need thousands of people if you build a structure that prioritizes high-value impact over raw headcount.
If you are an investor or a CEO, you have to stop asking how many people a company has. Instead, ask about their leverage. A small team of multipliers using AI can now outperform a legacy organization with ten times the staff. This is not about cutting costs, it is about creating value for others at a scale that was never before possible.
The goal of business is to generate cash flow (money) in a repeatable and scalable way. And the goal of money is to pass the point of diminishing return so you can buy your time back.
If you hire traditional employees, you are just building a bigger machine that requires more of your time to manage. If you hire multipliers, you are building a legacy of efficiency and innovation.
Stop trying to win the talent war by counting heads. You win by finding the people who can rewrite the code of your business. That is how you move from the chase of the money phase into the freedom of the time phase.