A startup can get bigger but slower at the same time. This is actually the normal path, and you have to work hard to overcome that reality. More than doubling Artie’s headcount this year showed me that a good chunk of my job is alignment: making sure everyone knows what we’re building and why. When everyone’s aligned, the math is simple. 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Three people fully aligned means you get 3x the amount of work done - sometimes even more. When someone’s not fully aligned, even a great hire adds less than a full 1. Good work goes in the wrong direction, and the team spends time getting back in sync. Add enough people that are misaligned and a team of 6 ships less than a team of 3. That’s why we're keeping Artie as lean as we can as we grow. More people only makes the team faster when everyone’s pointed the same way.