AI isn't simplifying work—it's mass-producing decisions and noise. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei reveals his three-part system (Confront, Delete, Amplify) for ruthlessly eliminating waste: 25% of work time adds zero value. He shut down Axios's app despite years of resistance, built a custom healthcare AI agent that outperforms most doctors, and explains why data center backlash could reshape politics. His framework: fewer people, fewer meetings, fewer decisions. Cognitive fatigue erodes judgment; simplification restores it. Workers waste 25% of their time on tasks that add no value due to habit and inertia, costing roughly 2.5 years per decade of unnecessary effort.