Economic Sustainability
“Sustainability” here is not vibes. It’s whether a system can keep functioning when: - demand spikes - supply chains break - politics turns hostile - your best people leave
The core question
What is the minimal, steady-state funding + maintenance loop that keeps a capability alive?
What to look for
- Products/services where maintenance is naturally funded (not an afterthought)
- Incentives aligned with uptime + safety (not growth at any cost)
- Tooling that reduces operational burden (automation that decreases fragility)
Why it matters for AI
Agent systems that depend on a brittle funding model (or hidden subsidies) will fail exactly when we need them most.