Answers

Should we hire a Head of AI or bring in someone embedded for a few months?

Zachary King, Cofounder and CEO at Works · LinkedIn

Short answer

On cost and speed, embedded wins. A Head of AI, if you can find one, means a six-month search and $200k plus in costs, for what is mostly not a headcount problem. What businesses this size lack is capability: working systems, written-down context and a team that can run and extend them.

Do this week

Compare the two options honestly on cost, time to the first shipped workflow, and what happens if a person leaves.

Transcript

Should we hire a Head of AI or bring someone embedded in for a few months?

The maths says embedded, both in terms of total cost and speed to action. A Head of AI, if you can find one, is a six-month search and $200k plus on costs, for what is mostly not a headcount problem. What businesses this size actually lack is capability: working systems, written-down context, a team that can run and extend them.

A hire gives you one person who knows things, and a single point of failure when they leave. An embedded operator installs the capability inside your organisation, with the team, and then we leave it behind on purpose. 90 days of an embedded hire costs a fraction of that year-one hire, and at the end the capability is spread right across your people, not in one salary. That's what we do at Works.

If you're deciding this year, then make that comparison honestly: cost, time to first shipped workflow, and what happens if a person leaves. Embedded wins all three.

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