I was laid off from my banking job at 55 and left corporate America to build my own AI consultancy. Here's what I learned in the process.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Kristina Martinelli headshot.

Photo courtesy of Kristina Martinelli

I hired a private chef for my 9-person AI startup — it was cheaper than our $13,500+ a month food delivery habit

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Four young adults pose around a conference table in a minimalist meeting room, with a screen displaying the word
Series CEO Nathaneo Johnson, their private chef Hayley, and other team members.

Courtesy of Nathaneo Johnson

3 AI execs on why tiny teams work, and where they could fall apart

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Back view of team of graphic designers working on computers in the office.
Building with a smaller team has its benefits and challenges.

skynesher/Getty Images

We're former Google coworkers who raised $4.5M for an AI startup. We didn't build a big team — we built fast instead.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Technology
Two men wearing glasses and business attire stand side by side, smiling against a plain background.
Joe Cheuk and Praneet Dutta cofounded Pomo.

Dan Clark

I built an AI app with a tiny team. We scaled it to millions and sold it to MyFitnessPal in under 2 years — here's how.

Tech Insider : Business
A young man with tousled dark hair and a small goatee faces forward wearing a gray sweatshirt against a plain background.
Jake Castillo cofounded Cal AI in 2024.

Courtesy of Jake Castillo

Snap's layoffs highlight growing work trend: AI-powered tiny teams

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel speaks into a microphone
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel

JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images

I had to cut my already small staff in half because of AI. We've evolved the business to keep up with the AI era.

Tech Insider : Business
A smiling man with short brown hair and a trimmed beard faces forward against a plain background.
Alex Cohen is the CEO and founder of Xander Marketing.

Courtesy of Alex Cohen

I run an AI-powered startup, and we canceled our ChatGPT business plan months ago. Claude feels more like the promise of AI.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Smiling man with shoulder-length dark hair and cross earrings wears a navy blazer and white shirt in an indoor office setting.
Sidhant Bendre canceled his ChatGPT business plan for Claude.

Courtesy of Sidhant Bendre

I started a business with AI and no tech background. Here's what it still can't replace.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Style
Tim Desoto
Tim Desoto founded an AI startup in 2024 with no technical background.

Zachary Fineberg for BI

AI agents make agreeable coworkers, and that's a problem for solo business owners. Here are 3 ways they're fixing it.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Tim Desoto, Yesim Saydan and Aaron Sneed
Founders Tim Desoto, Yesim Saydan, and Aaron Sneed all implemented a strategy to make their AI employees better.

Courtesy of Tim Desoto and Yesim Saydan; Michelle Bruzzese for BI

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