Seven Things I’ve Learned Getting Companies to Use AI

This post was originally a tweet thread in response to Sam Parr asking how people get their teams to adopt Claude. It touched a nerve, so I wanted to expand on it. I recently joined Every Consulting as the head of tech consulting, where we work with mid-to-large-sized companies on AI training and adoption. Here’s what’s working.—Mike Taylor

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Entrepreneur Sam Parr asked a question on X the other day: “How is everyone getting team adoption for Claude? I spent a lot of time on Twitter, as do you. We see all this AI stuff popping up. We’re on top of it, or at least sorta. But how are all you people getting your team to actually use it effectively without spending all their time on Twitter and learning?”

I hear this question in some form on every single consulting engagement. I know the advice I have resonates in meetings, but I’m short on time. So I dictated this post through Monologue and used Claude to shape it into something readable. (Let me know if this format works for you.)

Here are seven learnings from working with companies through Every Consulting:

1. Buy the model direct, not third-party tools

When you evaluate AI-powered tools, you’re also—whether you realize it or not—evaluating the tool vendor’s choices and constraints, rather than what the underlying model provider (like Anthropic, Google, or OpenAI) is capable of. It’s often faster to build your own Claude/Gemini/Codex skill with your own rules and preferences already built in.

Companies are increasingly building, not buying, AI software on top of models, because it gives you flexibility. I don’t know how it’s possible for companies that aren’t the core model providers to keep up when the big labs know what models are coming, build their internal tools to align with those releases, and train them on how to operate within their own environments. I appreciate the effort that companies like Cursor put into user experience—they’re a good product organization. But it’s difficult to compete with Anthropic offering $5,000 worth of tokens a month for a $200 subscription.

Third-party tools tend to be less flexible, less cutting-edge, and more expensive. That’s not always the case, but as a general rule, it holds. So most companies are better off buying directly from the model providers.

2. Raise the ceiling, not the floor

A lot of companies have mandated to their employees, “Everyone needs to use AI now. We bought you AI tools. Adopt it.” That doesn’t work. Even on pain of death, many people are unwilling to use AI or be told that they have to. It’s basic self-preservation.

Instead, use the carrot rather than the stick. Nominate people who are already AI-forward as internal cheerleaders. Maybe it gets other people to come out of the woodwork rather than hiding their AI usage by making it clear that using AI is encouraged. Give those people the support they need to unblock barriers to AI usage (typically IT access to data connectors, approved budgets for coding tools, and removal of layers of bureaucracy)—because someone who’s bought in is going to accomplish five to 10 times more work than someone who hasn’t seen the magic yet.