How AI Is Disrupting Disruption: The One-Man Band Founder
AI Agents and Agentic Workflows Part 4/4
Dear AI-Curious Readers,
This year I challenged myself to get curious about AI and create a space where I could share what I’ve learned. Thank you for joining me on this journey. This is my last newsletter of 2024, and the final installment of my four-part series on AI Agents and Agentic Workflows. If you haven’t read the first three parts yet, I recommend starting at the beginning—this series is your primer for what’s ahead in 2025 and beyond.
So far, we’ve explored how advanced AI agents are not only changing the work we do but also transforming centuries-old business models. In one example, we discussed the shift away from the billable hour toward value-based pricing. My conversation with Near Futurist Neil Redding highlighted how AI enables decentralized decision-making, a fundamental shift in how businesses operate.
Neil and I also touched on Sam Altman’s prediction that AI will soon create the first one-person tech company with a billion-dollar valuation. This idea sparked my curiosity about how AI isn’t just changing business—it’s redefining the dynamics of disruption and reshaping the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
What It Means to ‘Disrupt Disruption’
We stand at a crossroads—economically, socially, and technologically. For the past few years, the economy has been grappling with turbulence: rising interest rates, a slowdown in tech investment, and the continued consolidation of wealth in the hands of a few.
As traditional structures falter, technology is stepping in to empower a new wave of innovators. These forces, though daunting, are creating fertile ground for a quiet revolution in innovation—one driven by individuals and small teams armed with unprecedented access to AI and agentic workflows.
For decades, the future of a start-up hinged almost entirely on its ability to secure funding. Venture capitalists acted as gatekeepers, deciding which ideas deserved to come to life and which didn’t. On the surface, this might seem like a sensible system—capital flows to the most promising ideas. But in reality, this system is riddled with biases that stifle true innovation.
Investors tend to favor ideas that fit into familiar frameworks—concepts that feel “safe” because they have already been validated in some way. Disruptive ideas, by their very nature, often lack this validation. They are unproven, counterintuitive, or require the creation of entirely new systems or infrastructures to succeed. As a result, they struggle to attract funding.
History is littered with examples of revolutionary ideas that were dismissed or underfunded because they didn’t fit the mold. Thomas Edison’s vision for widespread electricity is one such example. In the late 19th century, Edison had to bootstrap much of his work on the electric light bulb and the infrastructure to support it because few investors could see the potential. At the time, gas lighting dominated, and the idea of electrifying cities seemed absurdly ambitious—there was no infrastructure, no proven demand, and no clear path to profitability.
Similarly, Alexander Graham Bell struggled to find backers for the telephone, a device many dismissed as a frivolous toy. Even the personal computer, a now-indispensable part of modern life, was once viewed as a niche product with no mainstream potential. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak famously started Apple in a garage, scraping together funds to bring their vision to life.
Much like how Edison needed to build his own infrastructure for electricity, today’s innovators are navigating uncharted territory, creating new markets for ideas that many initially dismiss. These breakthroughs came to fruition not because they were safe bets, but because their creators found ways to persevere despite a lack of institutional support. They believed in ideas others couldn’t yet see.
This reliance on validation creates a cycle where innovation becomes incremental rather than transformative. Funders back ideas that feel familiar or build on existing successes, leaving little room for the truly novel. Start-ups, in turn, are incentivized to pitch ideas that conform to investor expectations rather than exploring uncharted territory.
AI and agentic workflows are changing this dynamic by reducing the need for external capital to get ideas off the ground. With lower costs for prototyping, marketing, and scaling, entrepreneurs can focus on solving problems they care about, rather than tailoring their vision to meet the biases of investors.
The One-Man Band: Doing More with Less
For many founders, the mantra of 2024 became “do more with less.” The economic pressures of the year, coupled with advances in AI, have encouraged entrepreneurs to rethink how they approach building businesses. The traditional start-up model—with its reliance on large teams and hefty funding—now feels increasingly outdated.
So what does this look like? Imagine Ed Sheeran on stage, armed with nothing more than a guitar and looping technology. He crafts rich, layered performances that sound like an entire band, but it’s just him up there, seamlessly controlling every element. In the world of entrepreneurship, AI is the looping pedal—allowing a solo founder to orchestrate every aspect of a business without needing a full team.
Here’s what the “one-man-band” entrepreneur might look like:
Product Development: Using no-code platforms like Bubble or AI-powered coding assistants like GitHub Copilot, founders can prototype and launch software without hiring engineers.
Marketing and Branding: Tools like Canva and Jasper generate professional-grade designs, advertisements, and copy, enabling a single individual to run a marketing campaign that rivals those of larger teams.
Customer Support: AI chatbots and virtual agents handle inquiries, resolve issues, and personalize customer interactions, allowing founders to focus on growth rather than day-to-day support.
Operations and Analytics: Platforms like Zapier and Airtable automate workflows and consolidate data insights, making it easier for entrepreneurs to stay on top of logistics and decision-making.
In this new paradigm, entrepreneurs are not just managing tools; they’re conducting an orchestra of AI agents and automated systems. Each tool plays its part, enabling founders to achieve results once thought possible only with larger teams and significant resources.
Empowering Innovators: The Cultural and Technological Revolution
This isn’t just a technological moment—it’s a cultural one. The removal of gatekeepers aligns with broader societal trends, from the creator economy to the push for decentralized governance in Web3. People are demanding more autonomy and ownership over their work, their data, and their ideas. The rise of the one-man band start-up is a natural extension of this ethos, reflecting a broader shift toward empowering individuals to break free from traditional hierarchies and create value on their own terms.
But I’m not going to gild the lily: AI disruption brings great opportunity and inevitable harm. Everyone will feel AI's disruptive impact, whether they actively engage with it or not. However, those who proactively understand the technology and tailor its use to their personal ends will thrive and gain a competitive edge.
The good news is that AI tools are increasingly available to anyone willing to explore their potential; the question is whether those who need them most will seize the opportunity.
The next great start-up founder might not be sitting in a Silicon Valley accelerator or pitching a VC. They might be a teacher in Nairobi, a designer in Medellín, or a college student in rural Ohio. The tools to build the future are increasingly in the hands of those ready to use them—consider this inspiration for your 2025 agenda. :)