Sip Seed Funding Preserves Creative Freedom

Dan Shipper believes AI is creating a fundamental shift toward a more generalist-oriented workplace where management skills become universally valuable. His company Every operates at the bleeding edge of AI adoption, demonstrating what most organizations will be doing years from now.

AI as a Force Multiplier, Not a Replacement

Dan rejects the common narrative that AI will simply replace jobs. Instead, he sees AI as dramatically accelerating skill development and enabling people to accomplish more with the same resources. At Every, they've observed junior team members making "a year's worth of progress in two months" because AI helps them avoid repeating mistakes. Rather than eliminating entry-level positions, AI allows newcomers to start at a higher level of competence while still developing fundamental skills.

This perspective shapes how Every builds products - they look for expensive services traditionally only available to wealthy individuals or large companies (like chief of staff, ghostwriters, or lawyers) that can be made accessible to everyone through AI augmentation.

The Allocation Economy: From Knowledge Work to Management Work

Dan's core thesis is that we're moving from a knowledge economy to an "allocation economy" where the primary skill becomes directing and managing AI rather than performing specialized tasks directly. The skills that were previously limited to the 8% of the workforce who are managers will become essential for everyone.

For leaders, this means recognizing that your team's value increasingly comes from their ability to effectively direct AI rather than just their domain expertise. The practical implication is prioritizing the development of management skills across your entire organization - teaching people how to communicate problems clearly, provide effective feedback, and maintain quality standards when working with AI.

Building an AI-First Organization

Every operates with remarkable efficiency - just 15 people running multiple products, a daily newsletter, and a consulting practice. Their approach includes:

Having a dedicated Head of AI Operations who builds prompts and workflows so team members can automate repetitive tasks without disrupting their core work.
Practicing "compounding engineering" where each unit of work makes the next unit easier through prompts and automations.
Using multiple AI agents with different strengths for different tasks, similar to assembling a team of specialists.

For organizations looking to adopt AI effectively, Dan has observed one clear predictor of success: whether the CEO personally uses AI tools regularly. Leaders who actively use AI can both drive excitement and set realistic expectations. The most successful companies also create forums for sharing prompts and use cases, highlighting early adopters, and tracking usage metrics.

Balancing Institution-Building with Creative Freedom

Dan intentionally structured Every with a unique funding approach - a "sip seed" round where investors commit capital that can be drawn down as needed. This preserves the creative freedom to experiment while providing financial security.

This reflects his broader philosophy that finding your unique shape as a founder - one that aligns with your natural talents and interests - is more effective than following conventional patterns. For Every, this meant embracing Dan's identity as a writer first, with entrepreneurship supporting that core rather than replacing it.

The practical implication for leaders is recognizing that forcing yourself or your organization into a standard mold often creates hidden costs. Finding the approach that leverages your authentic strengths, even if unconventional, can lead to both greater happiness and better business outcomes.