"Hidden Figures" & The Efficiency Expert

Imagine you are the best at what you do.

You're dubbed the human computer. Your calculations are flawless, your speed is unmatched, and your reputation is solid. Then one morning, you walk into the office and see a giant blinking box taking up the entire room.

The boss calls it an IBM 7090. You call it a threat.

In the 2016 film Hidden Figures, we travel back to the 1960s Space Race to follow Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. These three brilliant Black women didn't just help NASA win the race to the stars — they won the race against extinction.

Today we're diving into the Efficiency Expert. We're talking about what happens when the machine — whether it was an IBM in 1961 or AI in 2026 — shows up to take your seat.

Are you going to be the one replaced by the code, or the one who learns how to write it?

The Efficiency Trap

We are living through a Hidden Figures moment right now. Every C-suite executive is looking at large language models and asking: how many human computers can I replace with one subscription?

This is the Efficiency Trap. If your value is only based on repetition — doing the same task over and over — you are a high-risk asset.

But here's the Suit's secret: the machine is only as good as the person who knows how to talk to it.

In the film, the IBM stayed silent and useless until Dorothy Vaughan realized her old job was dying — so she had to birth a new one. She didn't complain about the machine. She mastered the manual.

So are you currently resisting the IBM in your industry, or are you in the basement at night learning Fortran?

The Audit: The Efficiency Framework

• Katherine Johnson — The Double-Check: Taraji P. Henson gives us a masterclass in technical intuition. Katherine didn't just do math. She did math the machine couldn't verify. She found the heart in the data. The IBM gave the coordinates — John Glenn said, "Get the girl to check the numbers." Develop a human-in-the-loop specialty. Be the person whose intuition and oversight are more trusted than the algorithm.
• Dorothy Vaughan — The Pivot to Programmer: Dorothy saw the writing on the wall. She knew the human computer department was being phased out, but instead of waiting for the layoff, she taught herself and her entire team how to program the machine. Identify the tool that's supposed to replace you — and become the foremost expert on how to manage it.
• Mary Jackson — Overcoming the Structural Barrier: Mary had to go to court just to get the right to attend the school that would qualify her to become an engineer. She knew that to stay relevant, she needed the credentials that matched her talent. Audit your barrier to entry. If the market is shifting, go get the certification or the degree that makes you legally and technically undeniable.

Don't compete with the machine on speed. Compete on architecture. Be the one who designs the prompt, audits the output, and understands the why behind the how. Transition from being the tool to being the architect.

The "Do Y'all See This?" Moment

There's that pivotal moment in the film where Katherine has to run half a mile in the rain just to find a bathroom she's allowed to use — while her white colleagues sit comfortably at their desks. They are literally measuring her efficiency while making it impossible for her to work.

In business, we call this Systematic Friction. The organization says they want high performance, but they built a bathroom half a mile away from the goal.

If your environment is designed to slow you down, no amount of upskilling will save you. You have to be like Al Harrison and take the sledgehammer to the sign and demand an environment that actually matches your output.

Efficiency isn't just about how fast you work. It's about how much friction you refuse to tolerate.

The Suit Takeaway

The machine isn't the enemy. Being obsolete is.

Don't be the person who gets left in the lobby while the IBM moves into the office. Audit your skills, master the manual, and remember — the numbers don't lie, but they don't tell the whole story either. You do.