The CNBC segment aired at seven forty-five on a Tuesday morning and by eight o'clock Lila's phone had received one hundred and twelve notifications, Alexander had called twice, and Voss Innovations' pre-market trading had opened down nine points and was still falling.
She had sat in the studio chair two hours earlier with the ring on her left hand and her hair down and the particular calm of a woman who had nothing left to perform. The anchor — a sharp woman named Dana Cole who had interviewed four sitting presidents and was not easily impressed — had looked at her across the desk and said, "Ms. Kingsley. Three weeks ago nobody knew your name. Today you're launching what some analysts are calling the most aggressive competitive entry into the AI sector in five years. Where did you come fr
