Business Security Is a Myth. Here’s Why Only the Paranoid Survive.

In the seminal American novel Infinite Jest, one character hangs a poster on his wall that depicts a king sitting on his throne with an expression of deep concern. The text on the poster reads: “Yes, I’m paranoid … but am I paranoid enough?”

You don’t have to be an actual king for this to resonate with you. As business owners, I think it probably hits pretty close to home for all of us. Anyone in a leadership position understands the challenge of maintaining objectivity in a rapidly changing world that requires constant reassessment of the risks you face.

And thanks to the level of disruption AI is creating across different industries, the world seems to be changing faster than ever before. When familiar systems and processes are at risk of becoming obsolete practically overnight, a little paranoia might just be the thing that saves your business.

I know this firsthand, because my experience building a highly disruptive roof restoration solution for asphalt shingles with Roof Maxx proved to me that established paths to success in an industry don’t always represent its future.

Here’s what I believe you have to gain by staying agile in the current climate instead of chasing the kind of security that might no longer exist.

Why security is an illusion in a landscape defined by change

Whenever something potentially threatening happens, people tend to embrace myths that bring them comfort. This can be soothing, but it can also be dangerous because the myth obscures the truth and impairs our ability to deal with it effectively.

History is full of examples, but here’s one that pertains specifically to the advent of AI: that it’s like any other technological advancement in human history, and that it won’t fundamentally alter the way we do things. The more things change, as the old saying goes, the more they stay the same. Right?

Well, no. Not really. Maybe we need a new saying. Just look at the evidence: Software stocks alone have lost over $1 trillion in value since the start of 2026 as AI tools have eliminated the need for many licenses.

But simply signing up for the latest consumer LLM isn’t necessarily a silver bullet solution either. To date, the actual cost savings AI has produced for the businesses that adopt it come in well below what executives projected. So what does that mean for founders looking to future-proof their companies?

The only lesson to take from this, as far as I’m concerned, is that there’s no such thing as a set-and-forget strategy for business growth anymore. Technology is simply changing too quickly. And when your environment is defined by change, the idea that you can rely on any tool or technique indefinitely becomes a fantasy.

So the answer isn’t to chase security. It’s to cultivate adaptability instead.

How uncertainty produces opportunity if you’re agile enough to catch it

The worst thing about chaos is also the best thing about it, depending on your reaction. Because the truth about chaos is that no one is immune to it. When the ground beneath everyone’s feet shifts, everyone has to find new footing. No exceptions.

The difference between the ones who stumble and the ones who reach higher ground is simple: Some are ready to move when the shift happens, and others aren’t.

When my brother Todd and I started Roof Maxx to provide a cost-effective restoration for asphalt shingles, most contractors in the roofing industry were used to selling total roof replacements — even to homeowners who didn’t necessarily need them. Not only did our new solution help make the industry fairer to homeowners by giving many of them a way to get additional years of usable life out of their existing shingles; it also separated the contractors who were ready to evolve from the ones who weren’t. Many of those contractors are now part of our dealer network and happily offer restoration services using our flagship product to homeowners whose roofs are strong candidates for treatment.

The same principle applies to businesses in any industry who are concerned about the instability created by AI. The solution isn’t as simple as merely jumping on the bandwagon, but there is a meaningful advantage to be gained by founders who can identify meaningful ways to incorporate this technology into their operations and are prepared to invest in making the shift.

Stop jumping at shadows and look for what they’re hiding

Of course, you can’t let every single potentially disruptive trend in the market fundamentally alter your business model. That’s where paranoia genuinely becomes a liability. Instead, ask the following questions to evaluate whether a potential change in your landscape requires changes to your current business strategy:

• How will it affect your competitors? We often tend to catastrophize when imagining how an event will impact us, so it can be easier to make realistic predictions when assessing how other players in your space might handle it.
• Will this change the core value proposition of your business, or just the way you deliver it? This can make the difference between giving up and innovating useful new strategies.
• What would you have to believe for the worst-case scenario to come true? This is an excellent way to review the premises underlying your paranoia and determine how credible a perceived threat really is.

This kind of honest investigation is what keeps paranoia productive rather than destructive. In the end, keeping your crown — or your company — isn’t really about whether you’re paranoid enough. It’s about whether you’re paranoid in a way that’s protecting you or holding your back.