Field Notes

Nobody Could Explain the Bill

Pete Sena · June 16, 2026

Somewhere in your company there's a number that gets a little bigger every month. It's your AI spend. And if you're honest with yourself, you can't actually explain what it's buying you.

This is the story of the night I learned why. And the three questions that tell you whether you've got the same problem.

Last month I sat across from a CEO at dinner. Eight-figure company. Sharp guy. Twenty years in his industry. And he said something I've thought about almost every week since.

He said: "Pete, I'm scared that if this AI thing actually works, I'm going to have to fire people who've been with me since the beginning."

Your AI budget is not a strategy. It is a bet you have not evaluated.

The three questions, and what they reveal about whether your spend is a strategy or a hope.

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