MarginSignalOS™ · Governance Document

Independence Charter

The structural-neutrality policy of MarginSignal OS LLC — written as a rule you can hold us to, not a sentence you have to believe. The public summary lives at /independence; this is the formal, signable version for partners, funders, and data rooms.

Document Independence Charter Version 1.0 Effective 2026 Owner MarginSignal OS LLC

A.Preamble

MarginSignal OS verifies whether deployed and agentic AI actually worked, and attributes fault across data, model vendor, operator, and agent. A verdict is only worth something if the party issuing it has no economic interest in the result. This Charter binds the company to that standard structurally.

B.The standard we are built to

EU AI Act, Article 31A body assessing high-risk AI must be independent of any operator with an economic interest in it, and may not advise the parties it judges.
SEC / PCAOB auditorsAn auditor may hold no financial interest in, and provide no conflicting services to, the entity it audits.
The 2008 ratings lessonWhen the rated party pays for — and can shop — its own rating, the rating stops meaning anything.

C.The Rule (non-negotiable)

1 · No financial entanglement with the parties we measure.

No equity, board seats, lending, or paid consulting from any party whose AI systems, agents, or outcomes we measure — operators, model vendors, BPO/CX providers, or insurers underwriting the risks we attribute. Any such funding is capped below control, granted no board seat and no methodology rights, and disclosed.

2 · Buyer-pays, not issuer-pays.

We charge the side that consumes the verdict. Where a measured party funds a specific assessment, the fee is fixed, published, and paid regardless of the result.

3 · We verify the system and the vendor — never the buyer's team.

Our role is a shield for the buyer, not an indictment of their people. If it failed, that is the vendor's or the model's problem to answer for — not the buyer's budget to defend.

4 · A structural firewall.

An independence covenant in our governing documents; methodology set by an independent committee, published and versioned; funding sources disclosed.

5 · No fabricated results. No undisclosed conflicts. Ever.

We do not claim clients or results we do not have, and we disclose any relationship a reasonable party would want to know.

D.Scope & governance

This policy binds the company, its founder, employees, contractors, and advisors. It is reviewed at least annually and published at /independence-charter. Material changes are versioned and dated. As of this version, MarginSignal OS has zero outcomes rated publicly — stated plainly rather than papered over; the honesty is the credential until the first reproducible verdict.

E.Attestation

I adopt this Charter on behalf of MarginSignal OS LLC and commit the company to its terms.

Brandon BurdinFounder & Principal Analyst, MarginSignal OS LLC
Charter
v1.0 · 2026