<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Kartik Iyer — essays</title><description>Essays on proxy metrics, compliance theater, and re-architecting business.</description><link>https://iyer.dev/</link><item><title>The Dutch Reckoning: AI Automation and the Sovereign Fiscal Architecture of the Netherlands</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/nl-reckoning/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/nl-reckoning/</guid><description>One-third of Dutch government revenue (€142B/yr) flows directly from employment contributions. What happens when 3.33 million white-collar roles enter the AI automation zone?</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>macroeconomics</category><category>ai-adoption</category><category>public-policy</category><category>systems-thinking</category></item><item><title>The 3-Layer Architecture: Directives, AI Orchestration, and Deterministic Execution</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/three-layer-system/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/three-layer-system/</guid><description>LLMs are probabilistic in an enterprise world that demands determinism. How separating Directives, Orchestration, and Execution makes AI reliable.</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>toolkit</category><category>ai-adoption</category><category>governance</category></item><item><title>The Reality-Based Architecture Manifesto: Authentic Intelligence Over Organizational Theater</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/manifesto/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/manifesto/</guid><description>Why 25 years of corporate systems optimized for the appearance of progress are now colliding with AI — and how to re-architect the building itself.</description><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>manifesto</category><category>architecture</category><category>ai-adoption</category></item><item><title>The Big Churn: RTO Mandates, Performative Presenteeism, and the Age of Stealth Downsizing</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/the-big-churn/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/the-big-churn/</guid><description>Why blanket return-to-office mandates function as quiet layoffs, and what that costs the workforce that stays.</description><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>future-of-work</category></item><item><title>The Art of AI-ing Better: Human Wisdom as AI Compass</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/art-of-ai/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/art-of-ai/</guid><description>AI amplifies whatever process it&apos;s bolted onto, broken or not. How 25 years of domain pattern recognition guides AI to compress six-month cycles into hours.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>toolkit</category><category>ai-adoption</category></item><item><title>The Myth of Corporate Alignment</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/myth-of-corporate-alignment/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/myth-of-corporate-alignment/</guid><description>Why &apos;making sure everyone is aligned&apos; is usually corporate code for indecision, diffused accountability, and risk aversion.</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>toolkit</category><category>culture</category></item><item><title>The Illusion of Indispensability: Breaking Free from Manufactured Urgency</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/manufactured-urgency/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/manufactured-urgency/</guid><description>Most deadline panic is manufactured, not real. A field guide to telling the difference — and shielding teams from performative churn.</description><pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>toolkit</category><category>urgency</category><category>meetings</category></item><item><title>Enough vs. More: Defining Success on Your Own Terms</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/enough-or-more/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/enough-or-more/</guid><description>A case for defining what &quot;enough&quot; looks like before chasing more of everything.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>toolkit</category><category>enough</category><category>growth</category></item><item><title>Field Notes: The Paper Tiger Phenomenon</title><link>https://iyer.dev/work/paper-tigers/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://iyer.dev/work/paper-tigers/</guid><description>A field guide to organizations that reward the appearance of progress over the substance of it.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>essay</category><category>thesis</category><category>toolkit</category><category>paper-tigers</category><category>organizational-theater</category></item></channel></rss>