Perspectives
Coming of Age: The Rise of AI Crews
By Shawn Mahon | September 15, 2025 | 8 min read
AI is moving from chatbots to coordinated multi-agent crews. Here's how work flips when curation beats creation -- and why one-human, billion-dollar companies are closer than you think.
From Disruption to a New Frontier
The last time I wrote a blog, it was about disruption -- how intermediaries between customers and supply chains were breaking down. What brings me back now is the next wave: the dramatic rise of generative AI.
From Prompts to AI Crews
Most people see ChatGPT as Q&A. The real leap begins when you stop thinking about prompts and start thinking about employees. Within five years, we could see a billion-dollar company run by a single human and a crew of AI agents.
Work, Flipped on Its Head
Today, 80% of work is creation and 20% is quality control. With AI, that flips. Ideas, drafts, prototypes are now cheap. The value shifts to curation, taste, and quality control.
- Supply chains: agents manage quotes, lead times, PSI schedules
- Engineering: AI drafts designs; experts refine
- Content: AI generates 10 variants; you pick and polish
The Future Is Here
Don't ignore it -- use it. The more comfortable you are now, the more ready you'll be when one-human, billion-dollar companies become normal.