Founder Reduces Team from 14 to 5, Cites AI Shift as Financially Beneficial but Emotionally Difficult

George Pu, founder of Canada-based startup Founder Reality, reduced his team from 14 to 5 in 2023 due to revenue pressures and rising costs, replacing many roles with artificial intelligence. While this shift improved financial margins and operational efficiency, Pu described it as the most painful and emotionally challenging experience of his career. He emphasized the loneliness of maintaining a lean team and sparked varied reactions about the balance between automation benefits and human impact.