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The Nature of Fear
"The nature of fear fascinates me," Ken wrote. "I keep retracing my steps over and over again. How did I end up here? How did I get here?"
Ken was sitting outside the boardroom. The pitch was due in five minutes. His bosses paced nervously in the luxurious hallway with beautiful paintings. Unlike Ken, his bosses - two old men and a gentler old woman - had spent the previous night asleep in first class.
"What are you doing on your phone?" asked Frank as he walked close to Ken's bench.
Ken looked up at Frank.
"Just sexting," he said. "It helps me recuperate from the red-eye in coach."
"You two stop that now!" the other old man barked. He was the main Partner in the room. "Frank let him be. Let him focus on the pitch."
Frank walked away. He looked unhappy. Ken smiled and went back to staring at his white smartphone. He was hunched over the antique bench. The three bosses paced about the luxurious corridor in their crisp blue suits. Ken was wearing a black blazer, jeans, and a t-shirt.
"Standard valley uniform?" the old woman asked.
"Yes," Ken smiled as he looked up from his phone. "I feel it relaxes me. I felt I ought to be comfortable since this is my last pitch at the firm."
She smiled back at him. Her name was Diane.
"We'll miss you at the firm," Diane said.
"That's very kind of you," Ken said.
The massive wooden doors swung open. A beautiful young in a crisp suit walked out.
"They're ready for you," she said.
Ken stood up. He put his phone in the inside pocket of his black blazer.
"Moment of truth," he said.
He swaggered in and ignored the disapproving stares of the client's technology department.
"Gentlemen!" he blurted out. "And lady..."
He looked around the room to make sure his math was sound.
"The nature of all AI is tender caring," he continued. "Your bot is sick. Your customer CSAT scores are tanking. Your coders are quitting."
He paused to tuck his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
"I'm not just here to fix your bot," he said. "Our proposal lets you add a new cartridge to your bot, and to return your unit to customer growth within ninety days. And we'll demonstrate this via a controlled A/B test in your worst market."
He glanced from the corner of his eye.
Frank was sweating.
"The nature of fear fascinates me," Ken wrote. "I keep retracing my steps over and over again. How did I end up here? How did I get here?"
Ken was sitting outside the boardroom. The pitch was due in five minutes. His bosses paced nervously in the luxurious hallway with beautiful paintings. Unlike Ken, his bosses - two old men and a gentler old woman - had spent the previous night asleep in first class.
"What are you doing on your phone?" asked Frank as he walked close to Ken's bench.
Ken looked up at Frank.
"Just sexting," he said. "It helps me recuperate from the red-eye in coach."
"You two stop that now!" the other old man barked. He was the main Partner in the room. "Frank let him be. Let him focus on the pitch."
Frank walked away. He looked unhappy. Ken smiled and went back to staring at his white smartphone. He was hunched over the antique bench. The three bosses paced about the luxurious corridor in their crisp blue suits. Ken was wearing a black blazer, jeans, and a t-shirt.
"Standard valley uniform?" the old woman asked.
"Yes," Ken smiled as he looked up from his phone. "I feel it relaxes me. I felt I ought to be comfortable since this is my last pitch at the firm."
She smiled back at him. Her name was Diane.
"We'll miss you at the firm," Diane said.
"That's very kind of you," Ken said.
The massive wooden doors swung open. A beautiful young in a crisp suit walked out.
"They're ready for you," she said.
Ken stood up. He put his phone in the inside pocket of his black blazer.
"Moment of truth," he said.
He swaggered in and ignored the disapproving stares of the client's technology department.
"Gentlemen!" he blurted out. "And lady..."
He looked around the room to make sure his math was sound.
"The nature of all AI is tender caring," he continued. "Your bot is sick. Your customer CSAT scores are tanking. Your coders are quitting."
He paused to tuck his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
"I'm not just here to fix your bot," he said. "Our proposal lets you add a new cartridge to your bot, and to return your unit to customer growth within ninety days. And we'll demonstrate this via a controlled A/B test in your worst market."
He glanced from the corner of his eye.
Frank was sweating.