Minion.ai was a San Francisco-based startup focused on browser automation and agentic AI — software agents capable of autonomously operating web browsers to complete tasks on behalf of users. The company was active in the 2023–2024 period when browser-based AI agents were a major area of venture investment.
Jan Wilmake joined Minion.ai as a remote contractor in approximately March 2024, working from Groningen. The role was his first direct exposure to an early-stage AI company in the San Francisco ecosystem. The engagement lasted approximately one month, ending around April 6, 2024 — described in Jan's notes as a mismatch: "fired/didn't click."[1]
The Minion.ai period was sandwiched between Jan's freelance contract with Sprent (Sweden) and his subsequent role at Slimmer AI (Groningen). It represents Jan's first attempt at working within a California-based AI startup as a remote employee rather than an independent contractor or founder.
The role preceded Jan's major pivot into building Cloudflare-based infrastructure tools. At the time, Jan was still primarily oriented toward freelance client work. The Minion.ai experience — short, remote, ended without continuation — likely reinforced his inclination toward building independently rather than taking employment at early-stage startups.
Browser automation and agentic AI subsequently became central themes in Jan's own work, particularly through ActionSchema (his AI-powered spreadsheet and data pipeline tool) and his later Cloudflare-based agent infrastructure. The intersection suggests the Minion.ai exposure, even if brief, influenced his technical direction.
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