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AIQuiet 13d · day 15

Altman Criticizes Gen Z Jobseekers for Not Embracing AI, Draws Backlash

OpenAI's CEO told Stanford business students that AI-driven job disruption is an opportunity, prompting pushback framing it as tone-deaf.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 12d ago5 pieces14 likes & upvotes NewswiresRedditMastodon

What to know

  • Altman told Stanford GSB students that AI will handle 'wide swaths' of current jobs and framed the disruption as an opportunity for ambitious young workers.
  • He singled out MBA students for chasing careers that were 'cool five years ago' instead of building new AI-based ventures.
  • Coverage from Futurism reframed the remarks as dismissive of Gen Z, noting public enthusiasm for AI has soured since ChatGPT's 2022 launch.
  • Online reaction includes skepticism that AI's benefits will reach ordinary workers rather than concentrate power and wealth.

“Anyone who has started a company in the last two years has been building a company in the AI age, and they are at a default advantage, because the DNA of their organization is in this new world.”

Alexis Ohanian, Reddit cofounder · Fortune ↗ · Oct 27

Sam AltmanSam Altman OpenAI CEOAlexis Ohanian Reddit cofounderMark CubanMark Cuban Entrepreneur and investorPaul Graham Y Combinator cofounder

Altman Criticizes Gen Z Jobseekers for Not Embracing AI, Draws Backlash
fortune.com

How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments

Peak 2 pieces in 4h at Oct 28, 10 AM; 5 pieces over 16 days (3 articles · 1 post · 1 comment) Oct 28, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Reddit 1, Newswires 1Oct 28, 2 PM — quietOct 28, 6 PM — quietOct 28, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 29, 2 AM — quietOct 29, 6 AM — quietOct 29, 10 AM — quietOct 29, 2 PM — quietOct 29, 6 PM — quietOct 29, 10 PM — quietOct 30, 2 AM — quietOct 30, 6 AM — quietOct 30, 10 AM — quietOct 30, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Oct 30, 6 PM — quietOct 30, 10 PM — quietOct 31, 2 AM — quietOct 31, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Oct 31, 10 AM — quietOct 31, 2 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — quietOct 31, 10 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 9 AM — quietNov 1, 1 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — quietNov 1, 9 PM — quietNov 2, 1 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 9 AM — quietNov 2, 1 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 9 PM — quietNov 3, 1 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 9 AM — quietNov 3, 1 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 9 PM — quietNov 4, 1 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 9 AM — quietNov 4, 1 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 9 PM — quietNov 5, 1 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 9 AM — quietNov 5, 1 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 9 PM — quietNov 6, 1 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 9 AM — quietNov 6, 1 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 9 PM — quietNov 7, 1 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 9 AM — quietNov 7, 1 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 9 PM — quietNov 8, 1 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 9 AM — quietNov 8, 1 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 9 PM — quietNov 9, 1 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 9 AM — quietNov 9, 1 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 9 PM — quietNov 10, 1 AM — quietNov 10, 5 AM — quietNov 10, 9 AM — quietNov 10, 1 PM — quietNov 10, 5 PM — quietNov 10, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 1 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quiet 1234
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  1. 4

    Commenters question whether AI benefits ordinary people

    A Reddit commenter responding to the coverage argued that AI's upsides mean little if they come with poverty and loss of autonomy, questioning the kind of future AI proponents are promising.

    “Would you rather die due to cancer at 55 or would you prefer to live until 120 on a UBI check that's barely keeping you alive in a technocratic dictatorship?”
    — _ECMO_

    • I can see plenty of separate positive things about AI. Novel therapies are absolutely possible due to AI for example. Forecasting systems for natural catastrophes another. What I can't see is AI being a net benefit to normal people. Would you rather die due to cancer at 55 or would you prefer to live until 120 on a UBI check that's barely keeping…

      _ECMO_r/technology12d agoview on r/technology ↗
  2. 3

    Futurism frames Altman's remarks as dismissive of Gen Z

    Futurism published a piece arguing Altman sympathizes with jobseekers in words only, while the AI tools he builds are upending employment; it noted public opinion on AI has soured since ChatGPT's 2022 debut and that even Y Combinator's Paul Graham now views AI-written pitches as a sign of laziness.

    1. 1 outlet Sam Altman Says Gen Z Are Lame for Not Worshipping AI

      first by Mastodon, 13d ago

  3. 1 day quiet
  4. 2

    Outlets and forums amplify Altman's MBA comments

    Reddit and Times of India picked up the Fortune story, repeating Altman's quotes about MBA students chasing old trends and citing other founders like Alexis Ohanian and Mark Cuban echoing the view that AI gives new entrepreneurs an advantage.

    1. 1 outlet Sam Altman to MBA students: ‘Chronic disappointment’ that they chase old trends

      first by Times of India, 14d ago

  5. 1

    Fortune reports Altman's 'chronic disappointment' in Gen Z

    Fortune published a detailed account of Altman's Stanford remarks, framing his comments as disappointment that young workers cling to pre-AI career paths instead of starting new ventures built on AI.

    “My chronic disappointment with MBA students is that they always want to go do the thing that was cool five years ago rather than try something new.”
    — Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO · source

    1. 1 outlet first by Fortune, 15d ago · read ↗

  6. background

    Altman tells Stanford GSB students to 'go do the new thing' with AI — In an interview with Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Sam Altman said huge numbers of tasks will be done better, cheaper, and faster by AI, and urged students to build new businesses rather than pursue careers that were 'cool five years ago.'