When the Cat Isn’t the Problem

When the Cat Isn’t the Problem

How automation quietly optimizes for the wrong things

A few people asked me after the “cat hiring story”:
“Okay… but what was the real point?”

Fair question.

Because no, most of us are not actually hiring cats.
At least… not intentionally.

But here’s the thing:
The system in that story didn’t fail.

It did exactly what it was designed to do.
It looked at past data.
It found patterns.
It optimized for what seemed to work.

And then it scaled that logic perfectly.

That’s the uncomfortable part.

Because a lot of the AI and automation we’re using right now works the same way.

Your funnel optimizes for clicks.
Your content tools optimize for engagement.
Your emails optimize for opens.

And most of the time, that’s great.

Until it isn’t.

Until:

the clicks are coming from the wrong audience
the engagement is shallow
the leads don’t convert
the message slowly drifts away from what you actually want to build

Nothing is “broken.”
But something is… off.

That’s the modern version of hiring the cat.

Not a visible failure.
A quiet misalignment.

And the tricky part?

The more you automate, the faster that misalignment scales.

That doesn’t mean “don’t use AI” or “don’t automate.”

It just means:
Don’t confuse optimization with understanding.

A system can get better at hitting a target…
even if it’s the wrong target.

So every now and then, it’s worth stepping back and asking:

“What is this actually optimizing for?”
“And is that still what I want?”

Because in the end, the goal isn’t just to build systems that work.

It’s to build systems that work for the right reasons.

And ideally…

To make sure your next top performer
isn’t named Mr. Whiskers.

✨ Fleeky

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PS
In case you missed the story: cat hiring