The Rigor Protocol How We Build Judgment at askOdin
At askOdin, we are building AI Judgment Infrastructure—a new class of system designed to codify and scale the nuanced, high-stakes judgment that defines elite capital allocation.
Our mission is to transform judgment from an unscalable art into a defensible, firm-level asset.
A company dedicated to this mission must itself be an engine of uncompromised rigor. Our product is a direct reflection of our process.
This document is the blueprint for that process. It outlines the four core principles that guide our work, our decisions, and our culture. It is our commitment to intellectual honesty, made public.
1. Thesis-Driven Action
Every action is directly defensible against our core thesis: "Judgment is the last unscalable asset."
Work that does not directly serve the mission of scaling judgment is a distraction. We prioritize ruthless focus over scattered effort. When faced with competing priorities, the governing question is simple: "Does this advance the mission?" If the answer is not an immediate and obvious yes, it is a no.
2. Intellectual Honesty > Being Right
We optimize for the correct outcome, not for personal consistency.
Our internal debates are structured as collaborative sparring matches, not performances. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not to defend a previously held position.
- We expect strong arguments, but weak ego-attachment.
- The best idea wins, regardless of its source, especially when it challenges the founder's assumptions.
- When new evidence emerges, we update our views quickly and without penalty.
3. Decisions Are Documented & Defensible
Our decision-making process is our most valuable asset.
As a pre-seed company, our institutional memory is our primary defense against repeated errors. Every critical decision—product, technical, or strategic—is documented in a brief, structured format:
- Context: The situation that demanded a decision.
- Options: The alternatives that were seriously considered.
- Rationale: The first-principles logic for the final choice.
- Metrics: How we will measure the outcome.
This creates our "scar tissue library," transforming individual experience into auditable, organizational wisdom.
4. Asynchronous by Default
Deep work requires uninterrupted time.
The problems we are solving demand sustained, high-cognition effort. Our default mode of collaboration is asynchronous, using detailed, written documents and targeted communication.
Meetings are the exception, not the rule. They are a tool of last resort, reserved for high-stakes debate and final decision-making, never for simple information transfer. We treat time and attention as finite, non-renewable resources.
This Is Our Standard
These principles are not aspirational; they are operational.
We know these standards are demanding. We know they will filter out many talented individuals who thrive in different environments. We are comfortable with that trade-off.
The alternative—compromising on rigor—means compromising the mission.
If this commitment to intellectual honesty and systematic thinking energizes you, we are looking for you. Building judgment infrastructure requires builders who embody the very qualities we are seeking to scale.
Ready to join us? This is a founder-led recruiting effort. Reach out directly.