Fire Your Worst Customers

Welcome back to Founder Mode!

In this episode, Jason and I went deep on something that most founders are feeling right now but not fully understanding yet.

AI isn’t just getting better.

It’s getting constrained.

Computing is limited. Access is being controlled. And the companies building the best models are starting to choose who gets in.

We talked about Anthropic, token economics, enterprise adoption, and what founders should actually do about it.

This one is less about hype and more about how the game is actually being played.

Let’s get into it.

1. Compute Is the New Scarcity

For the last decade, software felt infinite.

Now it doesn’t.

Models are getting better, but they are also getting more expensive to run.

That’s why you’re seeing limits, bans, and weird behavior.

“Anthropic is deeply out of compute… they’re scavenging for compute to feed the tokens.”

That’s the reality.

This isn’t just a technical problem. It’s a strategic one.

When compute is scarce, access becomes power.

And when access becomes power, companies start choosing their customers.

2. If You’re Hitting Limits, Upgrade

This one is simple, but most people get it wrong.

If you’re hitting limits, it’s not a product problem. It’s a mindset problem.

Think about it.

You’re getting leverage that replaces hours of human work.

And you’re hesitating over a few hundred dollars.

That’s backwards.

Flow matters more than cost.

If AI is helping you think and build faster, breaking that flow is the real expense.

3. Artificial Scarcity Is a Feature, Not a Bug

Anthropic’s “you can’t have this model” moment is one of the best marketing moves in AI right now.

It’s not just about safety.

It’s about positioning.

When people can’t get access, they want it more.

When only a few companies get the model, it feels more valuable.

And when everyone is talking about it, you win mindshare.

This isn’t new. It’s just being applied to AI.

4. AI Week Won’t Fix Your Company

A lot of companies are running AI bootcamps right now.

That’s fine. But it misses the point.

You don’t need a week of learning.

You need a full reset of how work gets done.

The companies that win aren’t experimenting.

They’re rewiring.

They replace systems. They redesign workflows. They hire differently.

Everything changes.

5. Enterprise AI Is About Wedges

If you’re building for enterprise, this matters.

You can’t just sell AI.

You need to solve a specific, painful problem.

And it has to be hard enough that they can’t just build it themselves.

Then make it simple to adopt.

Not a massive transformation.

Just a clear step forward.

Solve one thing. Prove value. Expand from there.

Final Thoughts

This episode made one thing clear to me.

We’re entering a new phase of AI.

It’s not about who has the best model.

It’s about who gets access to it, how they use it, and what they build on top.

Computing is limited.

Attention is limited.

Trust is limited.

And that means founders need to be more intentional than ever.

You don’t win by playing with tools.

You win by building something that matters.

And being willing to invest in it.

🎧 Listen to Episode 54 here:

Fire Your Worst Customers Apr 30 · Founder Mode 24:38   ​

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-kevin

2810 N Church St #87205, Wilmington, DE 19802
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