A ‘what if’ piece of speculative fiction about a possible future that could result from the systemic forces changing our world.
// How might AI change the way companies form?
// An in-person session of the 2025 fall Z Combinator program. The founders of a dozen startups sit and listen with rapt faces as one of the program organizers begins to talk.
“Welcome to the penultimate session of the program. Each of your startups was selected to join our elite program because we believe you have the skills and potential to be wildly successful companies. We’ve spent the past several months providing you with tools, wisdom, guidance, and feedback to help refine, pivot, and improve your companies.
“While next week’s session will cover our final pitch and unveiling event, this week, we’re going to talk about the risks of becoming blind. You’ve made it this far because you believe in your company, your co founders, and your idea. You’ve made it through periods of doubt and failure that would crush most people’s desire to start their own company. But not you. You are here. You have confidence.
“Group confidence is critical, but it can lead to group-think, nay even group-faith. This can lead to the enshrinement of certain ideas which “shall not be questioned”. And if you have those, you have blindspots which competitors can exploit.
“The Catholic Church used to have an official position named “advocatus diaboli”. This role was one who argued against the canonization (sainthood) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentation of the evidence favoring canonization.
“Every organization needs someone to take opposing viewpoints, but in a small company, that can be seen as disruptive, not buying into the company’s mission.
“So that is why the final funding round for each of your companies is contingent on you implementing some form of AI-driven opposition. A “Devil’s AIvocate”. Train an AI on your Slack and Discord messages, your code submissions, your email. Then ask it to say why your strategic direction is wrong. Ask it to oppose your critical decisions. You have until next week to get it done.