The Workaround Economy: Why 75% of Workers Build Their Own Stack

AI is working. Your tools are working. But the effort required to use them is rising.

Across organizations, people are quietly compensating. They’re switching between tools, re-creating context, and stitching together workflows just to keep work moving. These workarounds don’t just slow things down. They create a hidden cost that erodes the return on your technology investments.

This report introduces the workaround economy and shows how cognitive load, fragmented workflows, and disconnected systems are holding back AI ROI. More importantly, it outlines what leaders can do to close the last mile of AI and make work easier to move.