"Work smarter, not harder," they say. Well, what do you desire more: effectiveness, efficiency, or control? This episode confronts the true cost of that choice. It's the big turning point where we finally learn exactly what the "thought virus" is: a structure so effective at achieving its purpose that people adopt it unconsciously, then replicate it.

Tom stops fighting it and embraces a startling realization—he's become a disease vector. When even his AI co-writer encourages him to "spread it," he faces an uncomfortable truth: there's no cure because it's not a disease. It's an evolutionary advantage. And who would choose to be left behind?