A tech founder says he was 'pretty wrong' about lean teams in the AI era
Yasser Elsaid, Chatbase CEO, says his startup is doubling its 40-person team because he believes AI still needs humans to build great products.
TL;DR
- Chatbase founder Yasser Elsaid plans to double his company's 40-person team, challenging the trend of AI-driven team reductions.
- Elsaid now considers his previous bet on lean teams in the age of AI to be 'pretty wrong'.
- He believes that AI models, while capable, are not yet independent enough and still require human direction for product development and customer experience.
- Elsaid suggests that if building becomes easier with AI, companies should aim to build 'harder things' rather than reduce staff.
- He estimates that about 90% of his engineers' work is product-focused, involving research, customer interaction, and specification development.
- Chatbase is also hiring customer-facing staff, recognizing the need for human interaction with enterprise clients.
- This approach contrasts with other companies like Block and Coinbase, which have reduced staff, citing AI advancements.