The Intelligence from The Economist Boss Class 1. Fat layer of humans
37 snips
Jan 31, 2026 
Tom Blomfield, entrepreneur and co-founder of Monzo and Y Combinator partner. He argues AI will slim down routine knowledge work into a thin supervisory layer. He discusses rapid gains in software and operations, why AI can still disappoint, and how teams should experiment and redesign work around new capabilities.
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AI Will Thin The Human Layer
- Tom Blomfield predicts AI will thin the human layer in knowledge work until only high-level judgment remains.
- He expects autonomous agents and layered agents to automate most routine and many complex tasks.
Small AI Startups Scale Fast In Enterprise
- Tom Blomfield notes rapid growth of tiny AI startups solving narrow enterprise problems and scaling fast.
- He expects these focused solutions to expand and reshape enterprise software quickly.
Excel Workflows Are Prime For Automation
- Tom argues AI coding tools will automate repetitive Excel-driven workflows across enterprises.
- He predicts AI will enable end-to-end automation of many operational tasks currently done manually.
