Factory's new look at workplace productivity

The digital workspace is undergoing a profound transformation, and Factory CEO Debo Olaosebikan offers a refreshing perspective on how software should adapt to human needs—not the other way around. In a recent interview, Olaosebikan outlined his vision for Factory, a platform reimagining how work happens by blending human capabilities with AI agents. What's particularly compelling is Factory's focus on preserving human judgment while automating the repetitive tasks that consume our workdays.

Key Points

• Factory is building a platform where humans and AI agents collaborate seamlessly, with each handling what they do best: humans providing judgment and creativity, while agents handle execution and repetitive tasks.

• Traditional SaaS products force humans to adapt to software systems, whereas Factory flips this model by creating software that adapts to how humans naturally work.

• The platform uses small, specialized agents rather than general-purpose AI assistants, focusing on domain-specific expertise that can reliably execute specific tasks with high accuracy.

• Factory positions itself as a meta-layer that connects existing tools and software, not as a replacement for current systems but as a coordinator that makes them work together more effectively.

A Fundamental Shift in How Software Serves Humans

What makes Olaosebikan's vision particularly insightful is his recognition that software shouldn't dictate human behavior—it should accommodate it. For decades, we've been trained to think in terms of software features, forms, and functions. We've shaped our work processes around what our tools can do rather than what we need to accomplish.

This perspective matters tremendously in today's hybrid work environment. As remote and distributed teams have become the norm, the friction caused by poorly designed software systems has only increased. When employees spend hours navigating different tools, copying information between systems, and performing repetitive tasks that could be automated, productivity suffers significantly. A recent McKinsey study found that knowledge workers spend nearly 60% of their time on coordination activities rather than value-creating work.

Beyond the Standard AI Assistant Approach

While most companies are rushing to build general-purpose AI assistants, Factory takes a different approach worth noting. Their focus on small, specialized agents aligns with emerging research showing that domain-specific AI tools often outperform general models in practical business settings.

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