Plenty of companies are rushing to lay people off and drop in artificial intelligence, believing they’re being efficient. In a recent edition of his newsletter, Rony Meisler, founder of Reserva, shared a concept from adman Rory Sutherland that is a serious warning for anyone thinking that way — the Doorman Fallacy.
The hotel that saved $40,000 (and fell into crisis)
The story goes roughly like this: the owner of a five-star hotel hires a consultancy to cut costs. The consultant looks at the spreadsheet, points at the doorman and says: this person costs $40,000 a year just to open the door — replace him with an automatic door and the savings are done. The hotel lets him go, installs the door, and months later it’s in crisis.
Why? Because the doorman was never just the door. He provided informal security at the entrance, hailed taxis, carried the bags of the elderly and pregnant, recognized guests by name, made everyone feel at home. He did twenty invisible things nobody put in the spreadsheet. The automatic door does one: open and close.
Surface value vs real value
Here Sutherland nails the distinction every entrepreneur should keep at their fingertips. Everything has two values:
- Surface value: what you see up front, what fits in an Excel spreadsheet, what the consultant points at and tells you to cut.
- Real value: what’s hidden underneath — and which, almost always, is what truly holds everything up.
Whoever accepts a cut looking only at what’s visible in the spreadsheet is in the group that destroys businesses and relationships without noticing. Whoever stops and asks “what invisible consequence might I be ignoring?” is the one who builds real, lasting value over time.
What this has to do with AI
Now connect it to the AI rush. Everyone using AI to write everything — email, posts, reports, presentations. It’s faster, saves time, looks efficient. But, as Rony’s piece reminds us, the real value of writing was never the final text: it was the thinking you were forced to organize and refine to produce that text. Outsource the writing carelessly and you optimize the text — but kill the reasoning.
There’s a line, from a writer to a surgeon who asked why she didn’t use the faster computer: “But this is my life’s work. I’m in no hurry.” Doing it faster is not the same as doing it right.
The question before cutting anything
Before letting someone go, removing a process or automating a ritual, stop and look beneath the surface: what else does this do beyond the obvious? Who else does it impact? What invisible consequence might I be ignoring? The doorman isn’t just the door. The salesperson isn’t just the sale. The support agent isn’t just the service. Almost always, what’s underneath is what holds everything up.
Our take (as people who sell AI)
We implement AI and automation for companies — and that’s exactly why we say: use AI to amplify what has real value, not to cut it blindly. The right question isn’t “what can I replace?” but “what can I free up so people do more of what only they can do?” Automate the repetitive (the surface); protect and strengthen the human (the real value). That’s how technology adds instead of hollowing out — and that’s how we apply AI in our clients’ businesses.
Post inspired by an edition of the Email do Rony newsletter, by Rony Meisler (founder of Reserva), featuring a concept from adman Rory Sutherland. Worth reading at the source: businessofbrandspost.substack.com.