·E673

673: (Solo) Your Next Team Member Might Not Be Human

June 15

8 mins

View Transcript

Episode Description

Most founders are still thinking about AI as a faster way to do their work. But that is not what is happening anymore. AI agents do not help you do the task. They do the task for you. And if you have not started asking which roles in your business actually need a human, you are already behind.

Here is the thing: this is not a big tech problem or a future problem. Small and medium sized businesses are rebuilding their teams around this right now, and the ones doing it well are not replacing people for the sake of it. They are freeing up their human team to focus on the things that actually require judgment.

In this episode, I break down what AI agents actually are, how we are using them at Foundr across customer support, lead qualification and ad optimisation, and the practical first steps any e-commerce founder can take today.

Here's what you'll take away:

Why AI agents and AI tools are completely different things, and why that distinction changes how you think about hiring
How one founder cut his team from 48 to 30 people, replaced four software subscriptions, and saved $250,000 a year without losing any revenue
How Klarna deployed a single AI agent to do the work of 700 customer service reps
The repeatable, process-driven roles in every e-commerce business where agents are already outperforming humans
Where to start if you are a solo founder or small team: the customer support use case that pays off fastest
The one question to ask before every single hire from this point forward

If you are growing your team right now or thinking about your next hire, this episode will completely change how you evaluate that decision and what a lean, high-output operation can actually look like in 2026.

If you're loving this solo series, I'd love to hear your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.

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