Microsoft's research says the average knowledge worker spends 57% of their time translating context and details... or doing "work about work." Meetings have tripled since 2020. Writer Nate Jones gave this phenomenon a name I think is brilliant: the coordination tax.
Most of what we call work is not the thinking, the judgment, or the creative problem-solving. It is briefing documents, status updates, data bridges between teams, and emails confirming that other emails were received. It is the tax we pay for working in groups. And AI is compressing it fast.
In this week's video I connect the coordination tax concept with a distinction between "cognitive offloading" to AI (a good move!) and "cognitive surrender" to AI (dangerous). I also look at the Duolingo case study that shows what all of this looks like in practice: 12 years to build 100 language courses, then 148 in a single year after going AI-first. (And they kept every full-time employee.)
The work on the other side of this shift away from the coordination tax will be more human, more rewarding, and harder to hide from. I think that's great news. But only if we go in with our eyes open.
I would love to hear how you are thinking about this. Drop me a message or come find me on LinkedIn.
