Oct 20, 2025
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Life
Fighting Imposter Syndrome - Even After Building a Successful Career
“I am not good enough.”
I’ve lived, worked, and shipped AI products across four countries. Founded and ran a VC-funded AI startup for five years. Now, I head AI at an international legal-tech company in Paris. And yet… this thought still haunts me every now and then: “Am I good enough?”
Rebuilding Jus Mundi’s AI Core
At Jus Mundi, I took on a bold initiative: rebuilding the core of our AI product from the ground up. This meant an ambitious goal, a tight timeline and a fundamental redesign. For three to four months I immersed myself in the world of legal research, learning, absorbing, and trying to think like a lawyer.
Why a Blind Audit with Vals AI?
Ambition pushed me to go one step further: I wanted the new version of our AI to be audited externally by one of the top AI evaluation firms in the world — Vals AI. No influence. No cherry-picked data. A truly blind evaluation.
The next three months became an intense build–test–iterate loop. We validated quality improvements internally, hit our targets, secured buy-in and even received glowing feedback from potential customers. But internal validation only goes so far. The Vals AI report would be the real test. As we prepared our benchmarking campaign, everything was ready to go… except the report. The launch was only days away, and the numbers we’d worked so hard for were still pending.
A Moment of Doubt
I remember being on a morning run when Barnabé Cargill, our VP of Marketing, called me.
“Dash, are we confident we’ll get the numbers we’re expecting from Vals? What if we don’t? Our campaigns start in a few days.”
My answer was simple: we hired Vals AI for an unbiased audit. Our internal numbers looked great, but this was the real deal. “I’m taking the leap, and I’ll take full responsibility if it goes south.” Barnabé replied, “We’ll do this together.”
Right after the call, I sat on a bench by the Seine thinking, “Am I good enough?” That question triggered a reel of memories about times I’d felt the same way:
My first VC pitch.
My first product launch.
When one of the biggest companies in the world tried my startup’s product.
When I played on stage with my band for the first time.
When I decided to shut down my company and had to break the news to my team.
Every big leap comes with that whisper of doubt.
Embracing the Question
People like me have a love–hate relationship with doing big things. We love going where no one has gone before; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The question always arises: “Am I good enough?”
The answer (for me): I still don’t know. But I’ve learned not to let that question stop me. If you’re feeling it too, more power to you — you’re definitely not alone. Don’t let it stop you.
Outcome of the Vals AI Report
So what happened with the Vals AI report?
We nailed it. We hit the numbers. We launched the campaign. And we’re already seeing the impact.
But that quiet question? I’m sure it’ll come again. And that’s okay 😉
If you’re curious, you can read the full Vals AI Audit Report on Jus AI v2 here.
More Stories from Ayushman
If this story resonated with you, you might also enjoy a few other reflections and lessons from my journey building and leading AI teams around the world:
How A Three-Week AI Project with Saudi Aramco Led to Months of Burnout
The Story of An Average Engineer — How Perseverance Can Be Your Superpower
You can explore all articles and reflections at AI with Ayushman.
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