Iiro

Sharing thoughts about how to scale modern tech companies.

@Deel 🌍🇨🇦

[Iiro @iirotweets]

For the last 5 years, I’ve been part of building @deel’s business and operations. I’ve had a front-row seat to see the evolution of the company.

What’s happening at the moment @deel is wild.

AI is improving the company faster than anything I’ve ever seen before. Each LLM model version unlocks new capabilities.

Within the last months, I am seeing non-engineer team members building software to automate their work. Manual workflows that were seen impossible to scale just 6 months ago, becoming automated.

The function of how operations work in tech companies is changing.

I’ll share some insights in my X - follow for more.

[Iiro @iirotweets]

9 months ago, @deel’s @pjl_92 sent a message to a small group of some of my smartest colleagues:

“Get on a plane. Be in London tomorrow.”

I was lucky enough to be invited.

For the next 3 days, we sat in a WeWork from 9am to 9pm with one of the world’s leading AI experts to learn from. We built agents and pushed the boundaries of the workflows.

We asked every question imaginable.

What can agents do?

What can’t they do?

How far can we push the limits with current capabilities?

At the time, it felt like an experiment.

Today, it doesn’t.

Fast forward 9 months:

Deel launched @get_akai, our agentic processing platform.

Every operations team now uses it.

Processes that once required entire teams are increasingly being handled by software.

Not because people became less valuable.

Because the economics changed.

The old formula:

Headcount cost × number of people required = problem solved

The new formula:

Token cost + oversight + initial build = problem solved

If you work in operations, consulting, outsourcing, support, finance, HR, payroll, or professional services:

Pay attention.

This isn’t a future trend. It’s happening now.

Don’t wait for permission.

Start experimenting.

The companies taking similar actions today will look unrecognizable 6 months from now.

And the gap between them and everyone else is growing every week.

[Iiro @iirotweets]

The biggest mistake I see operations teams make with AI

They’re building workflows that are burning tokens at every step of the process.

Instead of building workflows that eliminate the need for tokens.

Example…

Bad:
Every invoice arrives → send to AI → extract data → categorize → route.

Good:
Standardize the invoice intake process so 95% of invoices are automatically categorized with deterministic rules. Use AI only for the 5% of exceptions.

The cheapest token is the one you never have to spend.

[Iiro @iirotweets]

@AIMhonesty The weather is incredible in North Finland at the moment, just flew back to Montreal from there yesterday - enjoy Fraser! @Gabe_Bernarde next winter come by, and I'll take you to sauna. 😁

[Iiro @iirotweets]

Honest opinion. Mechanical keyboards should be banned from any public places. Its not 2002.

[Iiro @iirotweets]

My GF might be the best Free Flow player in the world. Today marks her 1000th-day streak on the completed daily puzzles. Congratulations @noombsa and @BigDuckGames, you have successfully unleashed a new form of addiction.

[Iiro @iirotweets]

@AIMhonesty @FT You know, J & G had the same issues. I am now 95% sure that I had it the week after the weekend in Ams.
I had most of the symptoms like 39-degree fever (5 days) and lost taste and smell sense for a couple of days.
If you had it also the same time I feel it can't be a coincidence?

[Iiro @iirotweets]

@wowairsupport Hi, I paid for seating selection and this is the second time in a row you randomly change the seat selection I paid for. I am flying Montreal-Keflavik-Amsterdam. I also sent a DM to your account please help us sort this. ☹️

[Iiro @iirotweets]

Summer is coming. Here's a throwback to last summer, when we got to enjoy Matti's and Casper's company in our Amsterdam office. You can read about their summer work experience here in Reaktor Amsterdam from the blog.
https://t.co/HQLDAsQCOg https://t.co/CUmgcp5e45

[Iiro @iirotweets]

Check out this cool post from my Reaktor colleague @luotojesse 👉 : https://t.co/dpoAqTMjnw
I would also highly appreciate if you could as well upvote the article on @HackerNews to get the maximum exposure it deserves! 👇
https://t.co/60D2jEctch

[Iiro @iirotweets]

#reaktoramsterdam enjoying the Friday. We are looking for kickass developers to join Reaktor!… https://t.co/PY6WqMeRt4

[Iiro @iirotweets]

Just getting things done with this champion 👌 https://t.co/figlVxyM84

[Reaktor @ReaktorNow]

The Amsterdam team focusing on Getting Things Done with the @gtdguy. Thank you for the welcome reminder of what productivity is about, sir!

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Even more boring https://t.co/EfrzLAXwxs

[Jimmy D. J. MacDome @JimmyMacDome]

Pakkoruotsi pois, pakkojavascript tilalle. Voidaan miettiä, että millä kielellä niitä skaalautuvia bisneksiä rakennetaan. #puoliväliriihi

[Amazing Maps @Amazing_Maps]

Countries with less people than the city of Shanghai
-

[Varun Deshpande @varunrdeshpande]

More bionic goodness: Brain implant allows quadriplegic man to move his fingers
https://t.co/UDgOZM9Lo0

[Sar Haribhakti @sarthakgh]

Milton Friedman at his best. Explains it all in under 3 minutes.Much respect.
@pmarca, you would 💙 this

https://t.co/Di4YQDmXbZ via youtube