From time to time, direct reports will voice concerns about their output. This is typically some variant of how much code they’ve not written recently while coordinating some complex aspect of a project. Recently due to leadership emphasis on “AI fluency” this is with respect to token usage.

My goto reply is the following parable. First told to me by a manager early in my career, now others suffer receive it similarly.

A factory worker retires after 40 years on the job. The next week a critical machine breaks down bringing the assembly line to a halt. The worker was an expert in this machine.

The company tries everything to get it running. They take it apart and put it back together, bring in consultants, fly in workers from other plants. Nothing works.

Finally, they contact the worker, “Please help us get this machine back online. You can charge us whatever you want.”

Factory worker comes onsite, walks around, finds a bolt on the floor, screws the bolt back onto the machine, and presses the power button. It whirs to life. Worker tells them, “All set. I’ll invoice you.”

The worker sends in the invoice and the factory head calls them up, “What do you mean $20K?! You spent 20 seconds on this. I need this itemized.”

The worker sends in an itemized invoice:

• Bolt: Free
• Knowing where to put the bolt: $20K

Outcomes »> outputs. 🔩