Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) founder Michael Saylor has once again confirmed his status as the leading visionary of the digital age. In a recent interview, he outlined a simple yet tough recipe for career success in a world where artificial intelligence is rapidly taking over routine tasks. His main message: don't try to do what AI already does better than you. That's a dead-end path.
Instead of learning to compete with algorithms, Saylor proposes a radically different approach — "finding a new S-curve." In his logic, any technology goes from slow development to explosive growth and subsequent stabilization. The key moment is to jump on the train precisely during the acceleration phase, when opportunities that no one else sees yet open up.
Mastery of problem formulation matters more than technical skills
"Don't learn to do what AI already knows how to do," Saylor states. The alternative, in his view, is to master the art of setting tasks: "Better to learn how to ask AI to accomplish a task that no one has solved before." This could mean creating a new product or radically reducing the cost of an existing service. However, as the expert emphasizes, knowing how to write good prompts for ChatGPT alone is not enough. A sustainable advantage comes only from combining AI skills with deep expertise in a specific subject area.
A contrast with Strategy's reality
It's worth noting that Saylor's advice comes amid challenging times for his own company. As of August 16, Strategy holds 840,447 BTC, purchased for approximately $63.36 billion at an average price of $75,385. In the second quarter, the company recorded a net loss of $8.22 billion, mainly due to the decline in Bitcoin's price. The strategy has been criticized for diluting shareholder stakes and recent BTC sales, while Saylor himself has warned investors of "difficult years" ahead. The company's shares have lost nearly 40% since the start of the year.
My analysis: Saylor brilliantly describes a strategy for individual career growth, but his corporate experience demonstrates how risky betting on a single S-curve can be. In a world where technologies replace each other at kaleidoscopic speed, the ability to switch to a new curve in time is perhaps the only truly valuable skill. And here, his advice about the need to maintain subject-matter expertise looks especially forward-thinking.