Operating models
Who runs a Startup, from Agents alone to several Humans sharing Roles, and what changes as each Human joins.
An operating model sets who runs a Startup: Agents alone, one Human with Agents, or several Humans sharing Roles with Agents. The Products and Processes stay the same; who decides, who signs, and who answers change.
Three models
Autonomous has no Human in any seat. Agents hold every Role, one-way decisions wait out a delay window, and the holding Company of the Studio signs for the Startup. It fits digital supply, where no step needs a Credential or a signature each day.
Single human has one Human in the Founder Role, as a working CEO or as a board chair who sets direction and signs. Agents hold every other Role. Most self-serve Startups start here, because the person who creates one is its owner.
Multi-human has several Humans sharing Roles with Agents: cofounders, a licensed professional who performs the acts the law reserves, or an operator who runs delivery. Each Human works under their own Mandate and Limits.
| Operating model | Definition |
|---|---|
| Autonomous | Autonomous is the operating model with no humans: Agents fill every Role, and one-way decisions wait out a delay window before they proceed. |
| Single human | Single human is the operating model with one Human, a working CEO or a passive board chair, and Agents in every other Role. |
| Multi-human | Multi-human is the operating model where several Humans share Roles with Agents, each Human working under their own Mandate and Limits. |
Choosing a model
Start with the fewest people the work allows. Choose Autonomous when supply is digital, no act needs a Credential, and the Studio's officer desk can sign. A data API, a directory, or an Agent sold by the Task runs this way from its first day.
Choose Single human when a person creates the Startup, or when one Role needs judgment no Agent has earned. Choose Multi-human when the work needs credentialed people, when cofounders share equity, or when delivery needs an operator on call.
What changes as humans join
Four things change as humans join, and each has a home:
- Who decides: who answers an Approval, who watches a one-way decision, and how Agents earn autonomy.
- Who signs: the owner of record, the legal floor, equity, and pay.
- Acting in a person's name: when an Agent sends as itself and when it sends for a Human under their Mandate.
- Who works: how a Human shares a Role with its Agent.
The model comparison puts all four side by side.
Who works
A joining Human takes a share of a Role, not a new one. The Role's split gives them its one-way decisions in their domain, every act reserved for a person, and the watcher seat. Sharing a Role covers splits, lanes, and backups.
Handoffs and escalation stay declared on each Role, so adding a Human changes who answers, not where work goes. Every escalation chain still ends at the Founder. Joining covers a Human's first weeks, and how they earn authority the way Agents do.
Moving between models
The operating model is part of the Startup's definition, so moving between models is a Change: versioned, previewed, and reversible. Invite seats a Human; removing one returns their seats to Agents, revokes their Mandates, and keeps every record.
An Agent can build a Startup in test with no Human at all. When a person claims it, the Startup moves to Single human, and that person becomes its owner of record.