The entire third floor of the office building had been converted into the company's R&D laboratory. As the headcount for technical staff grew, the space became a bottleneck. Eventually, the lab spilled over into the second floor, forcing the Administration Department to retreat to the ground floor.
The move was so aggressive it temporarily swallowed the employee lounge and the cafeteria. Even the HR and Admin teams had to begrudgingly pack up their desks. This was why Nick was breathing down the necks of the contractors to finish the new building; without more square footage, new hires would literally be working in the hallways.
Last night, Nick had stayed up until sunrise writing a subroutine, so he didn't roll into the office until mid-afternoon. The lab's attendance policy was much looser than the rest of the company. The only rule was that you had to put in eight hours; when you started or finished was up to you.
This policy started with Nick—since he was a night owl who frequently arrived late or left early, he just made it the law of the land. Of course, while the "requirement" was eight hours, the reality was different. To keep pace with Nick's "R&D" sprints, everyone faced massive pressure. Once an engineer stepped into the lab, they usually lost track of time; ten-hour shifts were the bare minimum.
To take care of his "mad scientists," Tyler had long-term booked a dozen rooms at a hotel down the street so the team could crash whenever they hit a wall.
Walking into the lab, Nick spotted Zack sitting in the lounge area, buried in technical manuals. As soon as Nick walked in, Zack stood up.
Nick offered a small smile.
"You had time to think?"
Zack nodded.
"I've thought it through."
"Don't force it if your heart's not in it," Nick added.
Zack didn't answer directly. He looked out at the sea of technicians at their workstations. "What do you need me to do?"
Nick's smile widened. He walked over, patted Zack on the shoulder, and said, "Come on. Let's go broaden your horizons."
Zack followed him into the heart of the lab. It seemed Tyler's "heart-to-heart" had done the trick; Zack clearly understood the landscape now. He was Nick's buddy and a co-founder, sure, but inside these walls, the chain of command was absolute. Nick was the boss; Zack was the lead engineer.
You can only take what is given; you can't grab what isn't. The fact that Zack showed up with a humble attitude meant he'd weighed the stakes. It was a tough pill to swallow, but if they hadn't cleared the air now, the company would have eventually buckled under the weight of internal ego.
Nick knew exactly how many startups had imploded because of founder friction. He needed to pull that weed before it strangled the company. If Zack had chosen differently, their friendship would have effectively ended today. Fortunately, he stayed rational, and Nick felt a massive wave of relief. They'd lived together for four years; he really didn't want to have to cut him loose.
Walking to a central console, Nick picked up a Bluetooth headset, clicked it on, and said, "Kean 2.0."
"I'm here, Nick. How can I help you?" A gentle, easygoing female voice drifted from the high-end speakers beneath a massive wall-mounted monitor. The voice sounded young, maybe early twenties, and the cadence was eerily natural—no robotic stuttering, just fluid speech.
"How's the weather look?"
The voice responded instantly: "Today, Tampa will transition from cloudy to clear skies. Temperatures are slightly up from yesterday, ranging from 14 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, with a light Northwest breeze at 5 to 10 miles per hour."
"The air quality is a bit low today, so I'd recommend a heavy coat and maybe a mask if you're out for long."
"Too cold for me. I'm staying inside," Nick joked.
The speaker replied: "Nick, a little outdoor exercise is actually good for your cardiovascular health."
"But I hate the cold," Nick countered, grinning.
The monitor flickered to life, showing a stylized infographic of winter gear. "You only feel cold because you aren't layered properly. I'd suggest a beanie, a scarf, and thermal gloves to regulate your body temp."
"Forget it. I'm staying put. Kean 2.0, order fifty hot coffees for the lab. My treat."
"On it. I've scanned the local shops for you."
"Based on ratings and proximity, I recommend the Starbucks a half-mile down the road. Estimated delivery is thirty-five minutes. Should I place the order?"
The screen displayed the shop's info and the Yelp ratings.
"Do it."
"Confirmed. Which roasts or flavors would you like?" A list of options scrolled down the screen.
"Just get a bit of everything," Nick said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
Nick repeated, "I said, a bit of each."
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"Get some of every kind."
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"Fine. Get five of every flavor on the menu."
"Understood. Please check your phone to authorize payment." The DoorDash interface popped up on the monitor, and Nick's phone buzzed with the payment notification. He punched in his passcode and let out a sigh of relief.
"Nick... dude... is this the voice assistant you've been building?" Zack, who had been watching the exchange with his jaw on the floor, grabbed Nick's arm.
"Order placed, sir. Estimated arrival is thirty-five minutes," Kean 2.0 chimed in. "Also, excessive caffeine consumption can lead to increased heart rate and jitters. Please drink responsibly."
Nick chuckled and looked at the stunned Zack. "What do you think?"
"That is insane, man! How did you pull that off? The voice is... I couldn't tell it wasn't a real person," Zack stammered.
Nick shook his head. "There are still some tells. If you listen for the breath patterns, you can catch it."
"Who cares? It's miles ahead of Siri or Alexa. I'm telling you, when we drop this, it's going to be a nuke." Tyler, who had walked in mid-demo, was beaming, gesturing wildly at the screen.
"This is going to change everything. I no longer have to order food myself!"
"Of course you're thinking about food!"