When AI Messaging Goes Wrong

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The main character this week was Optifye.ai, a YC startup building software to let factory owners monitor workers in real-time. The founder went viral after posting a now-deleted video where he pretends to scold "worker 17" for inefficiency. 

Several people on the internet labeled it a new form of SaaS (sweatshop as a service), and the incident got a fair bit of press. But beneath the PR fiasco lies a challenge many AI startups are going to face: how do you position a product designed to monitor, replace, or "optimize" human workers, without alienating your audience?

So far, we’ve seen most startups take one of two approaches: 

1. AI as Helper: Augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them. 

   1. GitHub Copilot doesn't claim to write all your code—it helps you write better code, faster. Jasper doesn't promise to replace your marketing team—it helps them produce more content with less effort.

   2. The problem? There are so many startups claiming to augment these tasks, the generic messaging can make it impossible to stand out.
      

2. AI as Replacer: A few startups have leaned into more provocative messaging.

   1. Klarna, the Buy Now Pay Later service, talks so much about replacing staff with AI that they got a NYT profile on their automation efforts.

   2. Artisan AI, an AI BDR tool, put out billboards mocking human employees: "Artisans won't complain about work-life balance."

   3. Optifye.ai's demo seems less calculated than Klarna or Artisan. They seem more guilty of getting locked in the founder/investor echo chamber and failing to read the room.

   4. These startups generated some press and Reddit commentary, but it's unclear if the attention meaningfully boosted their business.

But there's a third option: decenter the magic and dystopia of your AI tool. Instead, talk about the business.

AI as Revenue Driver

Despite the billions being poured into GenAI, there aren’t yet many winners.

Greg Isenberg, founder and tech commentator, wrote a great piece discussing this problem. He calls it ‘vibe revenue’:

“Some companies have built genuine AI-enabled businesses solving real workflow problems:

• Replit and Cursor are deeply integrated into development workflows, saving real time and improving output

• Bolt had spent years building core technology before adding AI features

• Anthropic and OpenAI are creating fundamental infrastructure 

On the vibe side we’re seeing:

• AI companions with high initial engagement but rapidly decaying usage

• ‘AI-powered’ productivity tools that are essentially ChatGPT with a different UI

• Vertical AI solutions that demo well but don’t integrate well into real workflows

• Tools that generate impressive outputs but don’t fit any sustainable use case”

The comms lesson in this? The most provocative thing about your company may not be mass displacement and societal unraveling—it might be that you can actually retain users.

If you’re looking for press, highlight the business impact of your tool: Demonstrate that your team understands the space, users, and workflow; share proof of optimizing a real-world problem; show retention and meaningful growth.

If you don’t have those proof points yet, there are other ways to stand out:

• Acknowledge the limitations: So many tools tout their AI as magic. But there's magic in admitting your tool can't do it all. Customers appreciate honesty about what your AI can and cannot do—it builds trust and sets realistic expectations.

• Celebrate the human work: Adobe rolls out new AI features all the time, but they always celebrate the art of photography. It's all empowerment, all the time. And the users haven’t been going anywhere.

• Tie it back to a mission: "Automating sales outreach" may find a market, but it isn't terribly inspiring. You’ll probably get more attention with a mission of ‘freeing up more time for humans to speak to humans’. Your customers want to know how your tool fits into a better future, not just a more efficient one.

The AI race is just getting started, and your comms strategy can help you win or lose it. Our advice is to keep it simple: repeatedly hammer a message about making your customers happy or making your customers money.

📱 New in non-traditional media

Tracking the newsletters, podcasts, and creators reshaping media influence.

📰 In the news

• White House to choose which reporters will cover Trump
  The Trump administration announced plans to handpick which journalists can attend presidential events, breaking decades of precedent. They’re also inviting new media, including streaming services and podcasts.
  

• Bezos takes the reins on WaPo’s opinions
  Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, announced that the opinion section will now focus only on supporting ‘personal liberties and free markets’. Opinions Editor, David Shipley, resigned and more are going with him. 
  

• New podcast: Great Chat
  Five prominent women in tech—Ashley Mayer, Helen Min, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, and Angela Du—launched a new podcast, Great Chat. The VCs and operators will deliver ‘pro-tech, pro-capitalist commentary served without a side of disgruntled billionaire’. 
  

🎤 Spotlight on insurtech creators

Looking to round out your coverage with more newsletters and podcasts? Here are some favorite non-traditional media outlets to pitch your next story [insurtech edition]:

• 🎧InsTech podcast

  • Weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with leading insurance and startup CEOs

  • Hosted by Matthew Grant from InsTech London

• 🎧The Insurance Technology Podcast

  • Hosted by insurance industry leader, Reid Holzworth

  • Biweekly episodes featuring startup CEOs

• 🎧The Insurtech Leadership Podcast

  • Josh Hollander speaks with insurance execs and startup CEOs about product management, recruiting, fundraising, and the evolving market

• 🎧 Regional shows:

  • FS Brew: Focused on insurance & insurtech in UAE and Middle East

  • Asia Insurtech: Focused on the tech shaping Asia’s insurance industry

• 📧 Insurtech Insights

  • Monthly newsletter covering the latest funding announcements, startup profiles, and industry analysis

  • Published by the Insurtech Insights conference organizers; options for thought leadership articles written by CEOs

⭐️ Favorite story of the week:

• The New Aesthetics of Slop - Ted Gioia, The Honest Broker
  Enjoy this essay dissecting how tech is fueling an aesthetic movement defined by its tastelessness and deliberate stupidity, and how that slop will soon translate into our everyday lives.

⚡️ Steal this pitch

We used this pitch to secure top-tier media for our client :

• Ahead of the highly anticipated earnings results from Nvidia (NVDA) post-close today, are you interested in speaking with [XX]?

  [XX] can discuss the implications of Nvidia’s Blackwell launch on long-term growth and overall market share; the surge in capital expenditures by hyperscalers (which are driving infrastructure advancements); and the critical role of GPUs in next-gen AI applications. 

  [XX] can also analyze Wall Street’s bullish outlook despite competition from AMD and hyperscalers developing in-house chips, and speak to any other topics you might be covering, including tariffs.

💫 Client Wins

Our clients are making headlines. Check out coverage our clients got in CNN, The Street, and  Sustainability Unveiled.

Want coverage like this? Say hello.

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