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Merge pull request #18 from AgentWorkforce/post/google-remy-background-agent
New essay: Google Remy and the background agent bet
2 parents ba5432c + 973d8d7 commit 48de4b6

11 files changed

Lines changed: 420 additions & 11 deletions

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‎app/posts/[slug]/page.tsx‎

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@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export async function generateMetadata({ params }: { params: Promise<{ slug: str
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url: `${SITE_URL}/posts/${slug}/`,
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type: "article",
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publishedTime: post.date,
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modifiedTime: post.lastModified ?? post.date,
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authors: ["Khaliq Gant"],
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},
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twitter: {
@@ -125,7 +126,11 @@ export default async function PostPage({
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<div className="mt-12 border-t border-rule pt-8">
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<p className="text-xs uppercase tracking-[0.22em] text-ink-faint">
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Posted {formatDate(post.date)} &middot; AgentWorkforce
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Posted {formatDate(post.date)}
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{post.lastModified && post.lastModified !== post.date && (
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<> &middot; Updated {formatDate(post.lastModified)}</>
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)}
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{" "}&middot; AgentWorkforce
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</p>
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<p className="mt-4 font-serif text-[1.05rem] leading-relaxed text-ink-soft">
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Issues, PRs, and arguments welcome on{" "}

‎app/sitemap.ts‎

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@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export default async function sitemap(): Promise<MetadataRoute.Sitemap> {
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const postEntries: MetadataRoute.Sitemap = posts.map((p) => ({
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url: `${SITE_URL}/posts/${p.slug}/`,
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lastModified: new Date(p.date),
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lastModified: new Date(p.lastModified ?? p.date),
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changeFrequency: "monthly",
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priority: 0.8,
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}));

‎components/card-illustrations.tsx‎

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@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ const SLUGS: Record<string, React.ComponentType> = {
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"posthog-code": PostHogCodeArt,
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"notion-ships-the-primitives": NotionPrimitivesArt,
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"every-tool-ships-an-agent": EveryToolAgentArt,
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"google-remy-background-agent": RemyBackgroundArt,
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};
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export function CardArt({ slug }: { slug: string }) {
@@ -1066,3 +1067,51 @@ function EveryToolAgentArt() {
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</svg>
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);
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}
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function RemyBackgroundArt() {
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return (
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<svg
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viewBox="0 0 500 300"
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className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 h-full w-full"
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aria-hidden
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>
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<g
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opacity="0.14"
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stroke={C.ink}
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fill="none"
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strokeLinecap="round"
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strokeLinejoin="round"
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>
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<g transform="translate(250, 115)">
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{/* Central agent — always-on circle */}
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<circle r="20" strokeWidth="1.8" />
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<circle r="2.5" fill={C.ink} stroke="none" />
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{/* Orbiting app dots */}
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{[0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, 315].map((angle, i) => {
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const rad = (angle * Math.PI) / 180;
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const r = 52;
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const x = Math.cos(rad) * r;
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const y = Math.sin(rad) * r;
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return (
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<g key={i}>
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<line
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x1={Math.cos(rad) * 20}
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y1={Math.sin(rad) * 20}
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x2={x}
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y2={y}
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strokeWidth="0.8"
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strokeDasharray="2 3"
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/>
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<circle cx={x} cy={y} r="4" fill={C.ink} stroke="none" />
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</g>
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);
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})}
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{/* Outer dashed orbit ring */}
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<circle r="52" strokeWidth="0.8" strokeDasharray="4 4" />
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{/* 24/7 label */}
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<text y="2" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="inherit" fontSize="8" fill={C.ink} strokeWidth="0">24/7</text>
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</g>
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</g>
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</svg>
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);
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}

‎components/mdx/figures.tsx‎

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@@ -3014,3 +3014,183 @@ export function PhaseAgentFigure() {
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</svg>
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);
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}
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/** Remy — connected-app ecosystem radiating from a central agent. */
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export function RemyEcosystemFigure() {
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const apps = [
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{ label: "Gmail", angle: 0 },
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{ label: "Calendar", angle: 45 },
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{ label: "Drive", angle: 90 },
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{ label: "GitHub", angle: 135 },
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{ label: "WhatsApp", angle: 180 },
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{ label: "Spotify", angle: 225 },
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{ label: "Photos", angle: 270 },
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{ label: "Tasks", angle: 315 },
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];
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const cx = 160, cy = 150, innerR = 36, outerR = 110;
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return (
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<svg viewBox="0 0 320 320" className="w-full" role="img" aria-labelledby="remy-eco-title">
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<title id="remy-eco-title">Google Remy connected-app ecosystem: eight services radiating from a central agent</title>
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<defs>
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<radialGradient id="remyecograd" cx="50%" cy="45%" r="55%">
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<stop offset="0%" stopColor={C.sky} stopOpacity="0.85" />
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<stop offset="100%" stopColor={C.lavender} stopOpacity="0.4" />
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</radialGradient>
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</defs>
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<circle cx={cx} cy={cy} r={outerR + 10} fill="url(#remyecograd)" />
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{/* Connecting lines */}
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{apps.map(({ angle }, i) => {
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const rad = (angle * Math.PI) / 180;
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return (
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<line
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key={`line-${i}`}
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x1={cx + Math.cos(rad) * innerR}
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y1={cy + Math.sin(rad) * innerR}
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x2={cx + Math.cos(rad) * (outerR - 20)}
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y2={cy + Math.sin(rad) * (outerR - 20)}
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stroke={C.faint}
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strokeWidth="1"
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strokeDasharray="3 3"
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/>
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);
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})}
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{/* Center agent circle */}
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<circle cx={cx} cy={cy} r={innerR} fill={C.paper} stroke={C.ink} strokeWidth="2" />
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<text x={cx} y={cy - 4} textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-display)" fontSize="10" fill={C.ink}>
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Remy
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</text>
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<text x={cx} y={cy + 8} textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="7" fill={C.faint}>
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24/7
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</text>
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{/* App nodes */}
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{apps.map(({ label, angle }, i) => {
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const rad = (angle * Math.PI) / 180;
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const x = cx + Math.cos(rad) * (outerR - 14);
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const y = cy + Math.sin(rad) * (outerR - 14);
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const isExternal = ["GitHub", "WhatsApp", "Spotify"].includes(label);
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return (
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<g key={`app-${i}`}>
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<circle cx={x} cy={y} r="16" fill={C.paper} stroke={isExternal ? C.terracotta : C.ink} strokeWidth={isExternal ? "1.8" : "1.2"} />
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<text x={x} y={y + 3} textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="7" fill={isExternal ? C.terracotta : C.inkSoft}>
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{label}
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</text>
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</g>
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);
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})}
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{/* Legend */}
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<g transform="translate(160, 290)">
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<circle cx="-50" cy="0" r="4" fill="none" stroke={C.ink} strokeWidth="1.2" />
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<text x="-42" y="3" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="7" fill={C.faint}>Google</text>
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<circle cx="12" cy="0" r="4" fill="none" stroke={C.terracotta} strokeWidth="1.8" />
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<text x="20" y="3" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="7" fill={C.faint}>external</text>
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</g>
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</svg>
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);
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}
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/** Remy — three tiers of autonomy (auto, review, approve). */
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export function RemyTrustTierFigure() {
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const tiers = [
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{ label: "auto", desc: "calendar, lookups", color: C.sage, y: 60 },
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{ label: "review", desc: "drafts, scheduling", color: C.butter, y: 140 },
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{ label: "approve", desc: "purchases, messages", color: C.rose, y: 220 },
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];
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return (
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<svg viewBox="0 0 320 320" className="w-full" role="img" aria-labelledby="remy-trust-title">
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<title id="remy-trust-title">Three tiers of autonomy: auto-run for low-risk, review for medium, explicit approval for high-risk</title>
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<defs>
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<radialGradient id="remytrustgrad" cx="50%" cy="40%" r="55%">
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<stop offset="0%" stopColor={C.butter} stopOpacity="0.7" />
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<stop offset="100%" stopColor={C.peach} stopOpacity="0.35" />
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</radialGradient>
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</defs>
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<rect x="20" y="20" width="280" height="280" rx="16" fill="url(#remytrustgrad)" />
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{/* Risk arrow on left */}
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<line x1="48" y1="50" x2="48" y2="240" stroke={C.inkSoft} strokeWidth="1.2" />
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<path d="M44 234 L48 244 L52 234" fill="none" stroke={C.inkSoft} strokeWidth="1.2" strokeLinecap="round" />
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<text x="48" y="262" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="7" fill={C.faint}>risk</text>
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{/* Tier blocks */}
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{tiers.map(({ label, desc, color, y }, i) => (
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<g key={i}>
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<rect x="72" y={y - 28} width="220" height="56" rx="8" fill={C.paper} stroke={C.ink} strokeWidth="1.4" />
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<rect x="72" y={y - 28} width="220" height="56" rx="8" fill={color} opacity="0.25" />
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<text x="100" y={y - 4} fontFamily="var(--font-display)" fontSize="14" fill={C.ink}>{label}</text>
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<text x="100" y={y + 12} fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="8" fill={C.faint}>{desc}</text>
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{/* Shield icons — more for higher risk */}
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{Array.from({ length: i + 1 }).map((_, j) => (
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<g key={j} transform={`translate(${252 + j * 16}, ${y - 2})`}>
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<path d="M0 -6 L6 -3 L6 3 Q6 8 0 10 Q-6 8 -6 3 L-6 -3 Z" fill="none" stroke={C.inkSoft} strokeWidth="1" />
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</g>
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))}
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</g>
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))}
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{/* Header */}
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<text x="182" y="300" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="8.5" fill={C.terracotta}>
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autonomy narrows as stakes rise
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</text>
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</svg>
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);
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}
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/** Remy — comparison of three proactive agents (Pulse, Orbit, Remy). */
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export function RemyComparisonFigure() {
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const agents = [
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{ name: "Pulse", primitives: [true, false, false], color: C.peach },
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{ name: "Orbit", primitives: [false, true, false], color: C.lavender },
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{ name: "Remy", primitives: [true, true, true], color: C.sky },
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];
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const labels = ["clock", "listener", "inbox"];
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const colW = 86, startX = 36, topY = 70;
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return (
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<svg viewBox="0 0 320 320" className="w-full" role="img" aria-labelledby="remy-compare-title">
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<title id="remy-compare-title">Three proactive agents compared: Pulse has clock only, Orbit has listener, Remy has all three primitives</title>
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<defs>
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<radialGradient id="remycmpgrad" cx="50%" cy="40%" r="55%">
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<stop offset="0%" stopColor={C.sky} stopOpacity="0.6" />
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<stop offset="100%" stopColor={C.sage} stopOpacity="0.3" />
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</radialGradient>
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</defs>
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<rect x="10" y="10" width="300" height="300" rx="16" fill="url(#remycmpgrad)" />
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{/* Column headers */}
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{agents.map(({ name, color }, i) => {
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const x = startX + i * colW + colW / 2;
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return (
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<g key={`hdr-${i}`}>
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<rect x={x - 34} y={topY - 20} width="68" height="28" rx="6" fill={C.paper} stroke={C.ink} strokeWidth="1.4" />
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<rect x={x - 34} y={topY - 20} width="68" height="28" rx="6" fill={color} opacity="0.3" />
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<text x={x} y={topY - 2} textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-display)" fontSize="12" fill={C.ink}>{name}</text>
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</g>
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);
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})}
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{/* Primitive rows */}
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{labels.map((label, row) => {
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const y = topY + 50 + row * 58;
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return (
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<g key={`row-${row}`}>
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<text x="160" y={y - 18} textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="8" fill={C.faint}>{label}</text>
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{agents.map(({ primitives }, col) => {
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const x = startX + col * colW + colW / 2;
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const has = primitives[row];
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return (
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<g key={`cell-${row}-${col}`}>
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<circle cx={x} cy={y} r="12" fill={C.paper} stroke={has ? C.terracotta : C.rule} strokeWidth={has ? "2" : "1"} />
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{has ? (
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<path d={`M${x - 5} ${y} L${x - 1} ${y + 4} L${x + 6} ${y - 5}`} fill="none" stroke={C.terracotta} strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" />
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) : (
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<g stroke={C.rule} strokeWidth="1.4">
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<line x1={x - 4} y1={y - 4} x2={x + 4} y2={y + 4} />
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<line x1={x + 4} y1={y - 4} x2={x - 4} y2={y + 4} />
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</g>
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)}
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</g>
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);
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})}
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</g>
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);
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})}
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<text x="160" y="300" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="var(--font-mono)" fontSize="8.5" fill={C.terracotta}>
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same problem, different scope
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</text>
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</svg>
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);
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}

‎components/mdx/mdx-components.tsx‎

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@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ import {
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JuniorPluginFigure,
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AgentScopeFigure,
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PhaseAgentFigure,
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RemyEcosystemFigure,
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RemyTrustTierFigure,
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RemyComparisonFigure,
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} from "./figures";
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export const mdxComponents = {
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JuniorPluginFigure,
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AgentScopeFigure,
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PhaseAgentFigure,
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RemyEcosystemFigure,
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RemyTrustTierFigure,
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RemyComparisonFigure,
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LinkedInEmbed: () => (
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<iframe
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src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7429634994467414016?collapsed=1"

‎content/posts/chatgpt-pulse.mdx‎

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@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
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title: "ChatGPT Pulse and the missing primitives"
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summary: "ChatGPT Pulse has one of the three primitives a proactive agent needs. Here's what's missing and what indispensable would look like."
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date: "2026-05-11"
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lastModified: "2026-05-15"
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lastModified: "2026-05-18"
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accent: "sky"
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dropcap: true
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---
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## The market signal
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The most interesting thing about Pulse might be the competitive landscape around it. Anthropic is reportedly building a proactive assistant called Orbit for Claude. Google and Perplexity are developing their own versions. [Notion took a different path entirely](/posts/notion-ships-the-primitives/), shipping composable building blocks instead of a finished product. Everyone is converging on the same insight: reactive AI (ask a question, get an answer) is leaving value on the table.
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The most interesting thing about Pulse might be the competitive landscape around it. Anthropic is reportedly building a proactive assistant called [Orbit](https://www.testingcatalog.com/anthropic-is-working-on-orbit-its-upcoming-proactive-assistant/) for Claude. Google is testing [Remy](https://www.absolutegeeks.com/article/tech-news/google-tests-remy-a-proactive-gemini-powered-ai-agent-for-daily-tasks/), a Gemini-powered agent designed to act autonomously in the background, managing errands, sending documents, and coordinating across connected apps without constant user input. [Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai) is developing its own version. [Notion took a different path entirely](/posts/notion-ships-the-primitives/), shipping composable building blocks instead of a finished product. Everyone is converging on the same insight: reactive AI (ask a question, get an answer) is leaving value on the table.
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That's exciting and it validates what we've been building. But if everyone just ships the clock and calls it done, I'm not sure any of these will feel like more than a tab in an app.
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