Corporate culture taught us to optimize everything. From our calendars, to our portfolios, networks, and workflows.

But treating every decision like an efficiency problem completely misses the mark.

Rory Sutherland calls it the "doorman fallacy"—the mistake of reducing complex human value to a single measurable task, then wondering why the automation backfired.

This week: Why the unmeasurable parts are the most important, what calling someone "partner" actually signals, and how to stop asking for permission.

💡 THE BIG IDEA

The Doorman Fallacy

Rory Sutherland, behavioral economist and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, describes the "doorman fallacy" as what happens when strategy becomes synonymous with cost-saving and efficiency: first you define a hotel doorman's role as "opening the door," then you replace him with an automatic door-opening mechanism.

The spreadsheet looks brilliant. You've just saved £100,000 annually on doorman salaries. Consultants congratulate themselves. Quarterly reports glow with cost reductions.

Then two years later, the hotel's rack rate has collapsed, there's a vagrant asleep in the doorway, regular guests miss the personal recognition, and the five-star status has evaporated. Opening the door is only the notional role of a doorman. His other, less definable sources of value lie in taxi-hailing, security, vagrant discouragement, customer recognition, as well as signaling the status of the hotel.

This isn't ancient history. It's happening right now with AI adoption. Organizations are reducing complex human roles to a single task and replacing people with AI, overlooking the nuanced interactions and adaptability humans bring to their work.

The actual question isn't "can AI do this task?" but "what's the full value this role creates?"

In a world where most things can be automated, the unmeasurable parts—judgment, context, relationships, taste—become exponentially more valuable.

AI is the smartest, dumbest tool you'll ever use. Treat it like a teenager—capable but requiring adult supervision—and you'll get tremendous leverage. Treat it like it's smarter than you, and you've misunderstood the game entirely.

📈 PULSE CHECK

🤝 PARTNERSHIPS & THE STAG HUNT

When a Guy Calls His Girlfriend ‘Partner’

​The folks over at GQ thought it newsworthy that Timothée Chalamet called Kylie Jenner his partner rather than girlfriend.

Apparently, it's not sexy enough. Something about champagne fueled concussions.

And while it's fun to debate semantics, there's a lot more we could learn from these two and the intentionality with which they move through the world.

Kylie had an aesthetic vision and went ahead to build a billion dollar empire out of it, natural limitations be damned.

Timothée made clear his ambitions to be "one of the greats," and now he's winning awards for his work.

These are two people that aren't afraid to go against convention in pursuit of what they want.

To me, "partner" sounds like one half of a team, a power couple, and Lil’ Timmy Tim got it exactly right.

🎭 CULTURE & CREATIVITY

Harry Styles: Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally

So I've watched all 258 Zoom interviews that Harry did on that one couch in that brown sweater (for the research, not the rizz). The gist is this:

You're in control of how much depth, focus, and light you let into your life.

Harry's currently saying yes to everything. What are you saying yes to?

You could start with Aperture if you haven't seen it already. Or this excellent playlist of Harry's live performances that the algorithm rewarded me with, for all my diligent research. Or this Howard Stern interview for an early Valentine's day surprise.

You're welcome.

🏝️ LIFESTYLE DESIGN

The Nairobi Wave

​An American YouTuber is documenting her relocation to Nairobi in real time, sharing tips on banking, finding community, and building local friendships.

What's striking isn't just that she traveled the world and chose Nairobi. It's the influx coming with her: Kelis, Microsoft, the UN headquarters.

Brings to mind Paul Graham's timeless piece on cities and ambition:

He goes on to talk about Leonardo and the painters in Florence, the A-Listers in LA, the intellectuals in Cambridge, the style in Paris, and of course, the startups in Silicon Valley.

A great read overall, and a reminder to surround ourselves with the people that share our values, whether that be in person, or online.

🧠 MEANING & HAPPINESS

Essence Is Fluttering: How to Be Yourself When You Have No Self

​Philosopher Alexander Douglas makes a counterintuitive argument: the pursuit of a fixed, true self might be exactly what's holding you back.

Drawing on the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, Douglas argues that the highest form of human development involves releasing attachment to any stable identity, because rigidity itself creates vulnerability.

The more precisely you define yourself, the more defensive you become toward anything that threatens that definition.

When your identity depends on being a specific kind of professional, industry disruption becomes existential crisis.

When your sense of self rests on particular beliefs, convincing counterarguments trigger literal survival fear. You can't process them without feeling like you might cease to exist.

Your fundamental nature isn't any particular form. It's the capacity to assume many forms without calcifying into any single one.

🚀 THE UPSIDE

Kingmake Yourself

Waiting for permission is so passé. Even worse, downplaying your achievements.

If you want to win, figure out what it takes to win, and then do it until it works. That's it, no gatekeepers required.

​Yasser captures this perfectly, using Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral race as the analogy.

But if you don’t want to listen to two random people from the internet, you might want to listen to Steve Jobs reminding us that "the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do."

​

📍 PLACES & EXPERIENCES

➕ ONE TO FOLLOW

Solomon King Benge — Founder & Executive Director of Fundi Bots | Kampala, Uganda

Solomon King Benge is the visionary behind Fundi Bots, a non-profit transforming African education by replacing rote memorization with hands-on robotics and a mission to empower 1 million children by 2030.

Background:

Solomon King Benge's journey began with a childhood curiosity for building robots and video games in 1990s Uganda, which was often stifled by a rigid, exam-focused school curriculum. This personal frustration became the catalyst for his professional mission: to ensure future African students have the tools and permission to innovate. At age 20, he founded his first business, Node Six, a web solutions firm that he successfully ran for over eight years, serving hundreds of clients before pivoting his focus toward social impact.

In 2011, he launched Fundi Bots, a non-profit that integrates robotics training into and outside the classroom to enhance STEM education. By moving away from theoretical 'cramming,' his organization provides practical skills in coding, engineering, and artificial intelligence. Under his leadership, Fundi Bots has scaled from a small pilot to a network of over 180 schools, impacting more than 50,000 students across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Solomon's expertise and impact have earned him prestigious fellowships from Echoing Green, Ashoka, and the Segal Family Foundation. He is recognized as a leading voice in African EdTech, with his work featured by global outlets like the BBC and Wired UK. His goal is to scale these transformative learning experiences to one million students by 2030, positioning African youth as central players in the global technology sector.

Perspective:

Benge believes that education must transition from being an 'expectation' (passing exams) to a 'purpose' (solving problems). He advocates for a 'guide-on-the-side' mentorship model where teachers enable discovery rather than act as gatekeepers of knowledge. By fusing traditional African learning styles with modern robotics, he aims to create a 'classroom of the future' where curiosity drives learning and technology is a tool for community change.

Why he matters:

Benge’s work signals a shift in Effective Altruism and global development toward indigenous-led, scalable educational interventions that bypass traditional infrastructure limitations. He proves that high-tech education, such as robotics and AI, is not a luxury for the West but a necessary developmental lever for the Global South to compete in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Why you should know him:

Benge’s career is a masterclass in 'founder-market fit'—leveraging personal struggle and technical expertise to disrupt a legacy system at scale.

Links: Fundi Bots | LinkedIn | Tedx Talks​