Hire vs. Automate
The math operators ask before they hire their first exec. Adjust the inputs; the result and URL update live. Share the URL and you're shipping a sharable benchmark.
—
Year-one loaded cost = (base × multiplier) + ramp penalty. Ramp penalty assumes 50% output for the ramp window — a hire ramping for 6 months effectively costs you 6 months of half-output, modeled as added cost. Merkava cost = exec subscription × 12. No equity dilution, no severance risk, no ramp.
This calculator is a directional tool, not a financial model. Real hiring decisions depend on factors this can't capture (relationship leverage, board signal, recruiting load). Use the number to frame the conversation, not to make it.
Common questions.
What does this calculator actually compute?
Loaded annual cost of a full-time exec hire (base + benefits + equity + ramp time) vs. the annual cost of the matching Merkava AI executive. The 'loaded' multiplier defaults to 1.4× — the standard rule for benefits, taxes, equipment, software, and overhead beyond base salary.
What's the ramp-time penalty?
A new exec hire takes 90-180 days to reach full output. We model that as 50% productivity for the first N months — so year-one cost is the loaded number, but year-one output is reduced. AI execs ship work in week one.
Is the AI executive a real substitute?
For the execution layer of the role — content shipped, pipeline qualified, ops cadence held — yes. For high-stakes external relationships (board comms, fundraising, M&A, top-tier customer escalations) you still want a human. Merkava handles the reps so the human exec can focus on the relationship work.