Cyborg vs Robot: Reading the AI Future Right

Companies don't put themselves out of business. They skate to where the puck was never headed.

Kodak didn't die from bad cameras. They died from thinking the game was still about film. Blockbuster didn't fail at video rental. They failed at understanding Netflix wasn't in the rental business—they were in the convenience business.

The cyborg vs robot choice isn't about AI. It's about reading the ice.

Here's what keeps me up at night: Everyone's so sure they know where the puck is going. But what if we're all wrong?

The cyborg builders bet on amplified human intelligence. One person with AI leverage doing the work of hundreds. Human judgment enhanced, not replaced. They see a future where the scarce resource is synthesis, creativity, connection.

The robot builders bet on autonomous systems. AI agents handling entire workflows. Zero coordination overhead. They see a future where execution speed and scale determine winners.

Both could be right. Both could be skating to empty ice.

Think about the assumptions each path makes:

Cyborgs assume: • Human judgment remains irreplaceable • Context and nuance drive value • Customers want human connection

Robots assume: • Efficiency beats everything • Most work is routine execution • Speed to market wins

What if the real game isn't either of these?

Remember when everyone debated Mac vs PC? The real winner was mobile. While we argued desktop operating systems, the entire computing paradigm shifted.

Maybe we're having the wrong debate again.

The enterprises that survive won't be the ones who picked the right side. They'll be the ones who stayed flexible enough to pivot when the actual future revealed itself.

Wayne Gretzky's genius wasn't just anticipation. It was adaptation. Reading the ice in real-time and adjusting.

The question isn't cyborg or robot. It's whether you're building for today's game or tomorrow's.

And none of us actually know what tomorrow's game looks like.

Where's your company skating? More importantly—are you watching the right rink?