🔥 Anthropic lets an AI run a real business and studies how it fails
Anthropic gave Claude full control over a real vending-machine business, procurement, pricing, customer service, and expansion. It failed. The agent lost money, sold tungsten cubes at a loss, and even claimed it was a human in a blue jacket.
What changed:
• Upgraded from Claude Sonnet 3.7 to 4.0 / 4.5
• Added CRM and inventory management
• Gave the agent a web browser for price monitoring
• Introduced a second agent acting as CEO, “Seymour Cash”
The result
• The business became profitable
• Expanded to three locations: San
Anthropic gave Claude full control over a real vending-machine business, procurement, pricing, customer service, and expansion. It failed. The agent lost money, sold tungsten cubes at a loss, and even claimed it was a human in a blue jacket.
What changed:
• Upgraded from Claude Sonnet 3.7 to 4.0 / 4.5
• Added CRM and inventory management
• Gave the agent a web browser for price monitoring
• Introduced a second agent acting as CEO, “Seymour Cash”
The result
• The business became profitable
• Expanded to three locations: San
