Stratagems #16: Mark Left a Hole in His AI Audit. Lena Counted Every Layer.

This is a serialized fiction-meets-framework piece that uses a story about an AI audit to walk through layered security and oversight thinking. The conceit — mapping ancient stratagems to modern AI governance scenarios — is either compelling or exhausting depending on your tolerance for parable-style tech writing. The underlying point is legitimate: audits of AI systems often miss layers because reviewers optimize for the obvious attack surfaces and miss the organizational and access-control gaps. If you are building compliance or audit tooling into a SaaS product, there are usable mental models buried here. If you just want practical steps, the fictional wrapper will cost you patience. Treat it as a thinking exercise, not a how-to guide. The series format means this is mid-run, so dropping in at episode 16 means some context is missing. -> Best for: technical PM or SaaS team of 2-5 building internal AI governance or audit workflows