Marcus Vale’s office was built almost entirely from glass. The walls, the doors, even sections of the conference table were transparent, an architectural choice meant to signal openness and accountability. Ari had always found that kind of symbolism slightly ironic. The most consequential decisions inside large organizations rarely happened in places that were truly transparent.
Marcus stood when Ari entered. The Chief Operating Officer carried the composed confidence of someone used to running vast machinery. Entire divisions of the company moved when he made decisions. Supply chains shifted, factories recalibrated, contracts were renegotiated. The operational pulse of the corporation flowed through this office.
Elena Ruiz sat beside him at the table. As General Counsel, she represented the quiet gravity of the legal system behind the business. Where Marcus projected polished authority, Elena projected precision. She watched everything carefully and spoke only when she had something worth saying.
Marcus gestured to the chair across from them. "Ari. Thanks for coming in early."
Ari sat down without ceremony. Meetings like this rarely benefited from small talk.
Marcus rested his hands on the glass table. "We’re reviewing operating budgets for the next two quarters. The board wants tighter discipline on spending."
Ari nodded once.
Marcus continued. "Security has grown significantly over the last few years. New tools, new vendors, additional teams. It’s one of the fastest growing operational budgets outside engineering."
That part was true. Ari had overseen much of that expansion himself.
Marcus leaned back slightly. "The question we’re asking is whether all of it is actually necessary."
Ari studied him for a moment before answering.
"Some of it isn’t."
Marcus paused.
Elena’s attention sharpened.
Ari continued calmly. "A significant portion of our security spending exists because someone outside this company requires it."
Marcus tilted his head slightly. "Explain."
"Cyber insurance mandates. Regulatory frameworks. Compliance audits. Third party assessments." Ari folded his hands together on the table. "Each one introduces a set of controls that must exist on paper whether or not they actually improve security."
Elena nodded faintly. She understood that world well.
"Those controls generate documentation, tools, reporting systems, consultants, evidence collection, audit preparation," Ari continued. "All of which costs money."
Marcus frowned slightly. "But they’re required."
"Correct."
Ari’s voice remained steady. "And we fund them. Every year."
Marcus tapped a finger lightly against the table. "Which brings us back to the original problem. The board sees a large security budget and asks where we can reduce it."
"That’s reasonable," Ari said.
Marcus looked mildly surprised. "You agree?"
"Yes."
The room went quiet for a moment.
Ari leaned back slightly in his chair.
"The problem is where those reductions happen."
Marcus gestured for him to continue.
"Most cost cutting efforts inside security remove the wrong things," Ari said. "They cut monitoring coverage, incident response capacity, threat intelligence, or engineering work that actually reduces risk."
Elena spoke quietly. "Because those are easier to measure."
"And easier to explain," Ari said.
Marcus watched him closely now. "So you’re saying we’re spending money on the wrong things."
"I’m saying a large portion of our budget is spent proving we are secure instead of making us secure."
The words hung in the room.
Marcus exhaled slowly. "And the board will not accept removing regulatory controls."
"I’m not proposing that."
Ari paused briefly before continuing.
"I’m proposing we reorganize everything else around them."
Marcus leaned forward slightly. "Into what?"
Ari’s answer came without hesitation.
"Security Brutalism."
Marcus frowned. "You’re going to have to unpack that."
"It’s simple," Ari said. "We strip security down to the controls that actually protect the business. Identity systems. Data protection. Attack surface management. Detection and response."
He spoke calmly, almost clinically.
"Everything else gets evaluated by a single question. Does this survive contact with reality?"
Elena thought of the sign she knew hung in Ari’s office.
Marcus studied him for a moment. "And this reduces cost?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Because complexity is expensive. Every redundant control, every overlapping platform, every compliance artifact that requires manual effort multiplies operational cost. Brutalism removes the excess and reinforces the foundation."
Marcus considered that. "So instead of cutting security, you’re proposing restructuring it."
"Yes."
"And you’re confident it works."
Ari nodded once.
"Very."
Marcus leaned back again. "That’s a bold claim."
Ari was about to answer when his phone vibrated softly on the table.
The notification came from the internal threat intelligence channel his team used for high priority alerts.
He glanced at the screen.
URGENT. Unusual credential activity detected in vendor network. Possible lateral movement.
Ari read it once and then looked back up at the two executives.
For the first time since entering the room, a faint trace of amusement appeared in his expression.
"Timing," he said calmly, "is an interesting thing."
Marcus frowned slightly. "What does that mean?"
Ari slipped the phone back into his pocket and stood.
"I believe," he said, "we are about to have a practical demonstration."
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