Transformation, automated
A YC startup wants to replace McKinsey. It promises AI-led company transformations. The pitch is appealing. Interview every employee, not ten. Agents ask smart follow-ups1. Patterns emerge from everyone, not a curated sample.
The reality is more messy.
People don’t like surveys. They don’t like interviews either. When they do show up, they misremember, edit themselves, and sometimes lie misrepresent. The candid answer is often between the lines. Not every interview carries equal weight. You hear interests, incentives, coalitions, unspoken pacts, aspirations, and fears. You collect contradictory “facts” that need resolving (through group sessions; challenging the team without them losing face).
None of this happens unless they trust you. Trust builds slowly, by showing up in person and showing what’s in it for them.
The interview was always the easy part. The hard part is proposing changes people understand, accept, and maybe get excited about.
Transition management is a deeply human task. It’s where transformation happens — or doesn’t.
It’s not a problem an almost-graduate can vibe-code, even with Sam Altman’s blessing.
I’ve built something similar — a 30-question survey with LLM-driven follow-ups, grounded in years of field notes. That part is great!