Watching a child learn to walk is a miracle.
First, they stand. Then, they take a clumsy step. Then, before you know it, they are running through the house, a tiny force of nature you can barely control.
This is the exact journey every founder is on right now with AI agents. You are not just building a product; you are raising a new form of intelligence. And its maturity will happen in three distinct, predictable phases. Your survival depends on knowing which phase you are in.
Phase One is the miracle of, "Can it work?"
This is the "hello, world" moment. The thrill of getting the agent to perform its first simple task. It's the joy of creation, the proof that your idea is not just a fantasy. As a founder, your entire focus is on capability. You are the enabler, the teacher, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Phase Two is the panic of, "It can do too much."
This is the moment the agent does something you didn't explicitly program it to do. It combines skills in a novel way. It takes an action that is both brilliant and terrifying. This is the moment most founders are not prepared for. They see it as a bug, a loss of control. It's not. It's a signal that you have graduated to the next level of power. You are no longer just an inventor; you are the parent of a teenager who just found the keys to a very fast car.
Phase Three is the responsibility of, "How do we control it?"
This is where true leadership begins. You have unleashed a powerful genie. Now you must become its master. This is the phase of guardrails. Of policy. Of governance. It's not about limiting the agent's power, but about aiming it. Control is what allows true power to be deployed safely and repeatedly. Your role shifts from enabler to governor.
Most founders are still stuck in Phase One, celebrating that the genie is out of the bottle. They are so mesmerized by its power that they haven't started thinking about what to do with their three wishes.
The winners in this new era will be the ones who move through Phase Two the fastest and build their company around the principles of Phase Three from the very beginning.
So I ask you: where are you on this journey?
Are you still celebrating that first clumsy step? Or have you realized it’s time to start child-proofing the house?