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How to Spend Your 20s in the AI Era (AI column)

#AI #Engineering #ML #Architecture #Software

Interesting. podcasting Y Combinator’s Lightcone presents a panel discussion with leading experts from the startup community, where they discuss how young people can build careers in the age of artificial intelligence. Ladies and gentlemen participate in the discussion

  • Harry Tan. (Garry Tan) President and CEO of Y Combinator
  • Harge Taggar. (Harj Taggar) Managing Partner of Y Combinator
  • Diane Hu. (Diana Hu) - YC partner.
  • Jared Friedman. (Jared Friedman) Managing Director of Software and Partner of YC

The children discussed the following topics: 1. The crisis of the traditional career model Reporters presented shocking statistics: now the unemployment rate among computer science graduates in the United States is 6,1%, which is twice the rate of art history graduates (3,0%). This radically changes the idea of a “safe” career in technology. 2. Rethinking education Many university computer science programs prohibit the use of modern AI tools like Cursor, effectively depriving students of the skills they need in the future. The education system trains professionals to follow instructions, but AI does it better than humans. 3. The importance of being able to act and make decisions autonomously is more important than working on diplomas The main idea of the discussion - in the era of AI agency (Ability to act independently and make decisions) more important than diplomas. Students who learn more through self-directed projects than through academic courses have a significant advantage. 4. New opportunities for startups Despite the speed of change and the risks involved, this is the best time to start a startup. Examples include the founder of Cursor, who in a couple of years created a company worth $10 billions. AI startups show unprecedented growth: from zero to $12 Millions in revenue 12 months. You can read more about Cursor in my parsing Cursor CEO: Going Beyond Code, Superintelligent AI Agents, and Why Teste Still Matters 5. Technical expertise is important again Before the AI era, subject expertise was key. Now, technical expertise in AI has become critical as building robust AI products requires deep technical knowledge. 6. Rapid development of new areas Smart students can become experts in new fields 1-2 months, if they purposefully study and apply knowledge. AI has captured the imagination of customers who are open to “magic” solutions from students.

Experts give a set of recommendations for startups To gain expertise in the subject area, they recommend becoming a “forward deployed engineer” – literally working in customer offices and studying their needs from the inside out. They suggest not chasing external metrics like attracting investment or social media popularity instead of creating real value. It is also worth focusing on narrow niches and then expanding into complex markets. Airbnb started with mattresses for conferences.Stripe – with an API for developers It is important to strive to work in the most successful startups with the best people, since the law of power distribution in startups means that a median startup fails. It is important not to participate in entrepreneurship programs that teach you to lie and create simulations instead of real value. They want to avoid SBF examples. (Sam Bankman-Freed.) Theranos – companies that turned out to be empty (By the way, there was more about Theranos. here)

This is an interesting podcast from key YC guys who share their thoughts with young startups.

#AI #Engineering #ML #Architecture #Software