A focus on efficiency and cost-cutting, often driven by “bean counters” and “time and motion” experts, stifles innovation and leads to job losses, mirroring the current AI discourse. Overemphasis on efficiency, like the race to the bottom, can ultimately harms everyone except the initial beneficiaries. For example, distributed energy where building new infrastructure and expanding into new sectors, like solar, generates jobs in manufacturing, installation, and new industries. Instead of solely fearing job displacement, we should prioritize investment in innovation, education, entrepreneurship, and just transition policies to create a future where progress benefits all through job creation. I advocate for strategic investment to build the future, instead of just shrinking the present.