Miro's AI Gamble: Profits Fuel Unlimited Learning Tools

Andrey Khusid, the cofounder and CEO of Miro, isn't waiting around to see if AI subscriptions are worth the cost. Instead, he's betting big on them to advance the company's internal learning and development. With Miro's profitable track record since 2016, the company has the luxury of offering its employees unlimited access to AI tools, a move that's rare even among tech giants.

Unlimited Tools for Unlimited Learning

"Our L&. D budget is unlimited tooling," Khusid explains. It's not about employees picking up skills on their own time or dime. Miro wants the experimentation and learning to happen internally, fostering a shared effort to integrate AI technology into their workflows. But this isn't a free-for-all. There's a business acumen involved. Even with the open checkbook, there's a clear expectation that any tool acquired must have a justifiable business case.

Why are they doing this? For Miro, it's less about individual productivity gains and more about the company's overarching speed. In a tech world where AI adoption is becoming the norm, companies that don't innovate quickly risk falling behind. The container doesn't care about your consensus mechanism, but it sure cares about speed.

Shifting the Focus from Costs to Speed

The numbers speak volumes. A study by Jellyfish shows that 64% of companies are now using AI to produce the majority of their code. Tech behemoths like Google and Microsoft aren't just encouraging AI use, they're making it a requirement tied to job performance. Miro tracks its progress through a "discover, define, deliver" process aimed at reducing timelines. For Khusid, the key metric is innovation velocity. "If you don't innovate fast enough, you're out of the game," he boldly states.

Is this the final stop for AI integration? Unlikely. Khusid believes the complete transformation of workplaces by AI tools isn't fully realized yet. He anticipates that by next year, organizations will have a clearer picture of the cost-benefit analysis. For now, though, Miro is already reaping the benefits in engineering, product, and design sectors.

AI's Current Limits and the Human Element

Yet, AI isn't a magic bullet. While it can speed up code generation, the human element remains critical. Code reviews, which require human oversight, can still slow down projects. "Humans have to read it," Khusid acknowledges. For now, AI is a tool, not a replacement.

Miro's strategy serves as a cautionary tale and a trailblazer's playbook for companies contemplating their AI investments. The ROI isn't in the model. It's in the 40% reduction in document processing time. As AI continues to shape our workplaces, the question isn't whether to adopt it, but how quickly you can afford not to.