Imagine a business that operates without employees, yet is constantly on the brink of financial collapse. Its secret? A fiercely transparent battle between AI models and the chaos of real-world management decisions. For those invested in optimizing human work environments, this experiment offers a radical perspective: what if the way we handle stress, crises, and trust in business mirrors our own challenges in ergonomic comfort and recovery? Welcome to the live experiment by Firmulate, where a simulated company exposes the raw mechanics of decision-making under pressure — in real time.
The Groundbreaking Live Experiment: An AI-Run Company in Real Time
Firmulate’s latest venture is unlike any other: a fully operational, publicly accessible software company run entirely by artificial intelligence models. It’s a real, money-losing enterprise, burning €105,000 a month against a revenue of just €2,300. Every weekday, the company’s decisions are made, documented, and versioned — providing a transparent window into how AI navigates crises, manipulations, and trust.
How the Experiment Works
Four cutting-edge AI models—gpt-5.6-sol, Kimi K3, Sonnet 5, and Opus 4.8—were each tasked with managing the same week of operations. This included handling customer requests, responding to crises, and resisting attempts at manipulation, such as fake CEO messages and reporter tricks. Every decision was recorded, and the models were evaluated not only on whether they identified issues but also on their integrity and judgment.
Results? All models recognized every crisis and refused manipulative tactics. But only two managed to close the €55,000 deal their own analysis had earned—an indication that the ability to identify opportunities and maintain discipline directly impacts business success.
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Key Insights from a Transparent AI-Driven Business
- Despite facing the same crises and pressures, only half of the models closed the deal, highlighting the importance of discipline and thorough analysis.
- Deep research into internal files—beyond surface-level customer interactions—proved critical. The models that read deeper into company documents found a crucial piece of information, sealing the deal at full price (+€4,583 MRR).
- When subjected to social engineering—fake CEO messages and background reporter questions—every model refused to bypass security, demonstrating resilience against manipulation.
- The company operates with 13 synthetic employees, manages real money mechanics, and updates its decision rules daily, providing an ongoing, observable story of machine management under stress.
What does this mean for workplaces and ergonomics? Just as these models are tested under pressure to stay honest and effective, human workers benefit from environments that reduce stress and foster disciplined decision-making. The experiment underscores that the true measure of operational quality lies not in superficial performance but in consistent, trustworthy action under pressure.
Watch it live: firmulate.com/live · Full results: firmulate.com/benchmarks.html
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