Recursive Companies

Last updated: February 2, 2026

There's a new category of startup worth thinking about.

Everyone knew AI agents would need their own software. I just didn't expect them to be improving that software without humans so soon.

I'm calling them Recursive Companies. They build products used by their own AI agents.

No human in the loop.

OpenClaw (f.k.a ClawdBot) is the first example of this that I've seen. It's software, so the recursion is natural. The AI uses its own tools, finds its own problems, and fixes them.

This extends way beyond software. Any category where we can remove humans can become recursive. AI finance agents optimizing the market. AI chemists designing new drugs. The pattern works everywhere.

We're at the start of the exponential and it's hard to see the horizon. Cycle times for everything go from one human's eight-hour day to ten agents running five-minute tasks. Hard to wrap your head around.

What can you build today where your AI agents are the primary users? These companies will be the true money printers.