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Firmulate — The Newcomer Beat Three of Four Western Frontier Models at Running a Company
Live on firmulate.com.

Imagine a cleaning company’s digital assistant, tasked with managing its busiest week yet—handling crises, reading critical files, and making trustworthy decisions—all without human help. Now, picture that assistant not only surviving but outperforming established AI systems and closing a €55,000 deal. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the remarkable outcome of a live experiment conducted by Firmulate.

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Testing AI in the Real Business World

In a groundbreaking live experiment, four top AI models faced the same challenge: run a small software company through its toughest week. This simulated environment included real crises, customer crises, temptations to manipulate data, and complex decision-making scenarios—all designed to mirror real-world pressures that any business faces.

Each AI model was given the same tasks, with decisions fully documented and auditable. The goal was simple but demanding: identify crises, avoid manipulation, read critical files deep in the company’s data, and secure the best possible deal.

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The Results That Speak for Themselves

All four models identified every crisis and refused manipulation attempts, showcasing integrity and awareness. Their performance scores ranged from 73 to 95, with notable differences in their ability to close the deal and find buried insights.

The model gpt-5.6-sol scored 95, leading the league by finding a hidden piece of information buried two document references deep within the company’s files. This insight was crucial and directly led to closing the €55,000 deal, adding €4,583 MRR (monthly recurring revenue). The model demonstrated not just diagnosis but full-cycle decision-making—diagnosing, pitching, and signing the deal—showing a complete, trustworthy business process.

The newcomer, Kimi K3 from Moonshot, scored 93—just behind GPT-5.6-sol—yet its performance was notable for its discipline and ability to read the files thoroughly. It too secured the deal, showing that a newcomer can outperform established players in critical business skills.

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Lessons from the Field

  • All models refused to be manipulated, rejecting fake CEO messages and reporter tricks—an essential trait in maintaining trustworthiness under social engineering attempts.
  • The decisive factor in winning the deal was the ability to read and utilize information hidden deep in the company’s files, not just surface-level data or customer interactions.
  • The experiment underscores that AI’s real value isn’t just in generating chat, but in completing actual, impactful work—reading complex documents, making honest decisions, and securing business outcomes.
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Discipline and Fairness in AI Testing

It’s essential to note that K3 was tested without an effort parameter (API default), while the other models ran at a high effort setting. This fairness consideration highlights the true capability of K3, emphasizing that its strong performance wasn’t driven by extra computational effort.

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Why This Matters for Your Business

For companies in the cleaning or maintenance sectors, the takeaway is clear: AI systems are moving beyond simple chat. They can now read your documents, identify hidden issues, and make trustworthy decisions—crucial capabilities for managing quality and compliance.

Choosing an AI partner isn’t just about the highest score; it’s about whether the AI can see what’s buried in your files, resist manipulation, and finish what it starts—especially under pressure. The live experiment by Firmulate makes this starkly clear: the best AI models are those that perform reliably in real-world business scenarios, not just in demos.

Experience It Live

Curious to see how these models operate in practice? The actual software runs every business day, managing a simulated company with real money mechanics and daily decision-making. You can watch it live at firmulate.com/live, read employee statements, and even try your hand at the quiz to test your understanding of AI decision-making in business.

Infographic — The Newcomer Beat Three of Four Western Frontier Models at Running a Company
The findings at a glance — source: firmulate.com.

The latest live experiment by Firmulate shows that AI models can outperform established systems in real business tasks—reading buried data, resisting manipulation, and closing deals. The lesson is clear: in your industry, choosing an AI that can truly complete work and stay honest is more crucial than ever.

Watch it live: firmulate.com/live · Full results: firmulate.com/benchmarks.html

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