[klyrs]

> E.g. "the AI expert/team" leaving breaks the narrative of being an AI company even if all they do is non-critical path exploratory research.

I find myself in this position (but, not AI). That sole researcher doesn't just have "narrative" power. I make prototypes which are fleshed out into products by more capable engineers. Without me, the team is a bunch of engineers with great intuition on engineering and some familiarity with my niche -- but not the depth of knowledge required for keen intuition. The result would be either stagnation, or very inefficient research as an engineer attempts to step into the research role, hoping to accidentally rediscover decades of specialized knowledge.

An AI company without an AI just won't be able to execute at the pace of an AI company with that expert. And likewise, us niche experts don't go far without a solid engineering team to back us up.