The Asymmetry Test: Choosing Where Agentic Systems Earn Enduring Advantage

Core insight: not every repeatable task deserves an agent; the highest-leverage automations are those that convert privileged information and aligned incentives into optionality that compounds over time. In this 10-minute executive briefing Adrian Cross walks a high-agency audience through a three-factor "Asymmetry Test"—information asymmetry (what you uniquely know or can access), incentive alignment (who benefits and how rewards flow), and optionality (how automation increases future strategic choices). You get three supporting diagnostics to assess candidate workflows, a quick scoring rubric to rank opportunities, and a 30-day micro-pilot template to validate impact without creating maintenance drag. Practical, tactical, and economically framed, this episode gives you a repeatable filter to prioritize agentic work that builds knowledge capital and strategic optionality instead of accruing technical debt.