Why is a dark factory the wrong target?#
The term comes from lights-out manufacturing, where plants run with the lights off because nobody is on the floor. Xiaomi's Beijing phone factory runs around the clock without line workers. In software, Dan Shapiro's five levels put the dark factory at the top: a black box that turns specs into software. Removing people does not remove the need for judgment, though. When three human checks become one, the remaining check carries the weight of all three.
What is the better goal?#
Autonomy earned per class of work, with accountability intact. Automation follows trust lets each class of change run unattended once its evidence supports it, and the delegation boundary records where the line sits and why.
Lights-out plants suit products that barely vary. Most software varies constantly, so expect a few dark lines inside a factory that still has people in it.