> ## Documentation Index > > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://lithi.ai/llms.txt > > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Power the future with your Mac. The world is racing to build new data centers for AI. We’re bringing together the Macs people already own to help meet that demand. Lithi connects those Macs with suitable AI work for businesses, from translating documents to reviewing code. Each Mac runs its part locally. You choose when your Mac takes part. Once customers pay, 50% of eligible task revenue goes into a pool shared by the Macs that helped complete accepted work. Our aim is to share more of AI’s value with the people and local communities helping power it. > Before we build more, let’s make better use of what we already have. — Annette Abreu · Co-founder of Lithi - **18 Months of development** March 2025 to September 2026. - **20M+ Lines of code written** Yes, this drove Ollie a little crazy! - **100M+ Active Macs reported in 2018** Apple reported an active installed base of over 100 million Macs in October 2018. ## The people behind Lithi. Annette Abreu and Ollie Hawkins met while traveling more than six years ago. Today they build Lithi together. ### Annette Abreu · Co-founder · Chief of Integrity Annette builds Lithi’s partnerships and community. She helps people understand how to take part. #### In Annette’s words People have always been at the center of my work, from operations at MathWorks to supporting DeafBlind students at Perkins School for the Blind. As Chief of Integrity, I make sure the network stays fair. The people powering it always come first, and the same rules apply to everyone. I love the idea that no single company should keep all the rewards. My focus is making sure the value is spread across everyone who helps create it. I want people to feel welcome and to know their part matters. When the network does well, so should they. ### Ollie Hawkins · Co-founder · Mad Scientist Ollie builds and tests Lithi’s technology. He turns experiments into software the network can use. #### In Ollie’s words I’m all about positive chaos. I try things, learn as I go and keep working until I get them right. I’ve spent the last 10 years building and testing my own ideas, and learning to run digital ads that brought people to them. In December 2024, I made it my goal to really figure out AI. I’m always curious how far I can push something, and AI seemed to have no limits at all. Plenty of experiments failed. The ones that worked became the software behind the Lithi Agent Network. One of my earlier ideas was in sustainability, selling secondhand clothing. I see this network as the same idea for computers: getting more from what people already own, and sharing the value with the people who power it. Some of my best experiences have come from traveling and meeting people along the way. After a year and a half laser-focused on building Lithi, I’m most excited to meet people at the events we host and spread the word! ## It started with a battery. How a battery idea, a lot of AI experiments and one big cloud bill led to a network of Macs. ### A battery project gave Lithi its name. Our first idea was a power-tool battery designed to become useless if stolen. We named its software assistant Lithi, a play on lithium. The battery project didn’t last, but the name did. ### Learning to run AI agents in parallel. Back in the glory days of unlimited token usage, Ollie ran hundreds of Claude Code agents in parallel. They wrote 1.2 million lines of code in one hour. Not all of it worked, but we kept experimenting. ### We built tools to introduce Lithi. Connectors are people who introduce Lithi to friends, neighbors and local businesses. What better place to start than over coffee at your local cafe? At a Community Hour, people bring their Macs, see how Lithi works and learn how to join. Connectors can earn from qualifying referrals when the people they introduce take part. ### A little help with the invites. And the replies. The Lithi app handles the busywork. A Connector picks a venue, and Lithi prepares the Eventbrite listing and posters. It also finds local Facebook groups and drafts posts and images to promote their Community Hour. The Connector reviews everything before it’s shared. People who see the posts and posters can text their questions about Lithi to the Connector’s local Lithi number. A personal SMS assistant answers and introduces itself as the Connector’s assistant. Less time figuring out what to say. More time getting people together. ### Then we got the cloud bill. Our tests estimated more than $250 a month in cloud AI costs for one Connector using the tools at full capacity. At thousands of Connectors, the cash flow wasn’t going to work for us. Back to the drawing board! We started running local AI models on the Macs we already owned. We moved suitable AI jobs onto them and built software to make them work together. ### The Lithi Agent Network was born. The Macs running our internal tools became the foundation of the Lithi Agent Network. We kept improving the software, security and encryption. That work became Lithi Compute, for businesses with AI work, and Lithi Connect, for Mac owners and Connectors. ## How Lithi works. Several Macs can work on one job. Lithi divides supported work into tasks for approved Macs. It checks the results and returns them together. Each Mac reads its assigned input. Dividing work limits how much one provider receives; it does not anonymize the data or provide confidential computing. ## The people and purpose behind Lithi ### Why build on Macs people already own? {#why-existing-macs} Useful computers are already in people’s homes and workplaces. Our approach connects suitable AI work with their spare capacity, while their owners choose when to participate. ### Who founded Lithi? {#founder} Annette Abreu and Ollie Hawkins co-founded Lithi. Annette builds its partnerships and community. Ollie builds and tests the technology. ### How is value shared? {#value-sharing} 50% of eligible task revenue goes to the Macs that helped complete accepted work. A Mac that invited another Mac earns 10% of what that Mac earns, up to 5% of the revenue, paid from Lithi's share rather than the pool. The rest stays with Lithi to run the network: finding and billing customers, routing and checking every task, support and payouts. It also pays for growth, including social media ads that Lithi plans and checks with its own Meta Ads kit, so more customers bring more work to share. Work and earnings aren't guaranteed. The provider share is a pool shared by the Macs that took part, not a payment to any one Mac. ### Does using existing Macs reduce environmental impact? {#environmental-impact} Not necessarily. Macs are air-cooled, so they use no cooling water, but using existing Macs doesn’t by itself prove lower energy use or carbon savings. ### How can I take part? {#take-part} Use Compute for suitable work with your existing AI agent, contribute a supported Mac through Connect, or introduce Lithi to people you know. Each path has its own setup, permissions and earnings rules. ### Who controls Connect invitations and posts? {#posting-control} You do. Lithi prepares invitations, posts and event details. You review them and choose what to send, publish or host through your own accounts. ### Is work or income guaranteed? {#work-and-income} No. Work must be available, and your Mac must be suitable for it. Hours, hardware and electricity costs vary. [Compute guide](https://lithi.ai/docs/compute) [Connect guide](https://lithi.ai/connect/docs) ## Know someone with a Mac? We’d love your help spreading the word. If someone comes to mind, please share Lithi with them. Share Lithi: https://lithi.ai/connect?share=1 Read the Compute paper: https://lithi.ai/papers/compute Download PDF: https://lithi.ai/papers/compute.pdf Ollie & Annette