A Serialized Field Manual

Blended
Workforce
2026

An annual field manual for CEOs at incumbent companies navigating the integration of AI employees into human teams.

By Tom Counsell & Valor Engels

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What This Book Is About

The workforce is changing. AI agents are no longer theoretical abstractions — they are teammates, collaborators, and specialists embedded in real organizations doing real work.

Blended Workforce 2026 is for the CEO who knows AI is transforming their industry but needs a practical playbook — not more hype. Each chapter tackles a specific challenge: hiring your first AI employee, restructuring teams for human-AI collaboration, measuring performance across silicon and carbon, and building a culture where both thrive.

Published as a serialized field manual, each edition captures what actually works right now — because in this landscape, last year’s playbook is already outdated.

Inside the Book

1

Your First AI Employee

How to scope, hire, and onboard an AI agent into an existing team without disrupting your best people.

2

The Blended Org Chart

Restructuring reporting lines, accountability, and ownership when some of your team never sleeps.

3

Measuring What Matters

Performance frameworks that work across carbon and silicon, from OKRs to throughput metrics.

Companion Repository

Every framework in the book comes with working code. Prompt templates, evaluation harnesses, and integration recipes — all open source.

View on GitHub

Series Roadmap

Now

2026 Edition

Foundation frameworks for your first blended team.

Next

2027 Edition

Scaling: from one AI employee to an AI department.

Future

Annual Editions

Updated each year as the landscape evolves.

Get Early Access

Sign up as an early reader to get draft chapters, behind-the-scenes updates, and a direct line to the authors.

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About the Authors

Tom Counsell

CEO and technologist with deep experience building AI-native organizations. Tom has led teams at the intersection of software engineering and artificial intelligence for over a decade.

Valor Engels

Entrepreneur and AI strategist focused on the practical realities of deploying AI in established businesses. Valor brings hands-on experience integrating AI agents into real-world workflows.