Peanut butter

Years before I worked in tech, I worked in the food industry as a plant manager. “Scales. My office. Now.” the senior director barked at me.

I stepped in and slowly closed the door behind me, “What’s up doc?” I asked.

“Do you think this is acceptable?” He asked, directing his eyes at a jar of peanut butter on his grandiose oak desk.

“The ... peanut butter, sir?” I questioned. “The label seems fi—”

“Not the label, Scales.”

The senior director twisted open the lid fervently and, with a quick swipe of the index finger, presented the contents to me.

“What the hell is this? It’s got chunks in it!”

“Sir I—”

“Our customers expect peanut butter. Not peanuts with some butter mixed in,” he continued to shout.

His voice beginning to fade away as I zoned out.

I activated the AI agent in my brain.

An LLM made embedded in my cortex.

—

The Smoking Gun

The execution stopped, peanut butter half-finished.

The quality of the end product diminished.

Amongst the problem substrate.

An agent team too much on its plate.

A seed was planted.

A goal unclear. The end was near.

But the big idea landed.

Peanut butter. Chunky.

—

“Sir!” I interrupted, coming back to reality.

“It’s a new idea I’m trying out. Chunky Peanut Butter.”

“Chunky…? Why would—” he questioned.

“Users want texture. Everyone is doing smooth. This is our breakout opportunity.”

The senior director grabbed a nearby piece of toast and spread the “chunky” peanut butter.

My heartbeat rose as the toast neared his mustachioed mouth.

Not a nibble but a huge bite.

“Why... you might just be onto something, Scales!”

“Sir?”

“Texture! It’s got texture!”

Another bite.

“By god it’s delicious!”

The senior director grabbed my hand and shook it viciously. “We’re gonna make a lot of money together, Scales!”

—

Years later “Chunky” peanut butter continues to dominate the category of food spreads, and it all started out with a mistake.

And it’s because I trusted my AI agents that we made it happen.