Kyle AI transfer approved with hard conditions; Gregs AI team codified as research firewall

Situation

Approved Kyles move from Wolfords Fuzzball team to Gregs AI team. Conditions: (1) Kyle stays on Fuzzball through end of June to finish RC tickets, (2) Chris receives Gregs open AI rec immediately to start backfill hiring, (3) transfer only happens after replacement rec is filled, (4) move is permanent — not a trial; failure to perform in AI role = out (not back to Fuzzball). Same turn with Wolford codified the broader doctrine: Gregs AI team operates as a research division firewall — the company plans nothing based on its work until a proven nugget of gold is delivered, and Cedric is now assumed unavailable for Fuzzball planning.

Reasoning

Three layered reasons: (Surface/retention) Kyle is a slightly-below-average performer who would leave the company if denied. Peter wants to support a culture of internal mobility — Apple did mobility terribly, Bet did it well. (Structural) Internal transfers cannot become a hiding place for low performers. Peter explicitly rejected the interim/trial framing because trial-with-safety-net would put internal transfers on a lower accountability bar than external hiring. Removing the safety net (permanent move, fail-out-not-back) makes the internal move match external-hiring accountability and protects the precedent for the next case. (Strategic) Gregs AI team cannot be infinite capacity that pulls arbitrarily from product engineering. Naming the firewall to Wolford makes the AI team a closed budget (max 2-3 people for a company this size), and protects Wolfords Fuzzball capacity from the Cedric-style drain. The Kyle decision is the vehicle for codifying the firewall.

Additional Context

Kyle showed Greg an AI-driven Fuzzball UI POC and asked to apply for the AI role. Greg met with Peter 5/20 to brief and propose either a clean move with the rec going to Chris, or an interim trial. Peter pushed back on interim. Same handshake reaffirmed in Chris W 1:1 5/21 — Cedric availability flagged as a separate but related capacity issue Peter will clarify with Greg.

Observed Evidence

Peter to Greg (5/20): I do not want it to be a place where CIQ engineers feel they can move over to and sort of just get to explore on their own. I need it to be directed work towards some goals. And I do not think it should ever be more than two or three people for a company of our size. Plus the explicit fail-out commitment. Plus Wolford 1:1 same-day reinforcement.

Matching Patterns

Confidence Breakdown

Reasoning Depth Analysis