Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) founder Michael Saylor has once again captured the community's attention, but this time not so much for his Bitcoin strategies as for his philosophical take on the future of the job market. In a recent interview, he offered young professionals a surprisingly simple yet profound piece of advice: don't try to compete with artificial intelligence in what it already does better. Instead, look for opportunities that others haven't noticed yet.
Saylor suggests flipping the traditional logic of career building. In his view, mastering routine data operations that AI already performs faster and more accurately is a dead-end path. "Don't learn to do what AI already knows how to do," he emphasizes. The key alternative, he says, is to learn how to set tasks for neural networks that no one has solved before. This could involve creating a fundamentally new product or using AI to radically reduce the cost of existing services.
The "New S-Curve" Methodology
Saylor describes technological progress through the lens of an S-curve: a slow start, a sharp rise, and subsequent stabilization. He argues that AI and related digital technologies are currently in the acceleration phase. The essence of his strategy is to spot a field that has only just become possible and secure a place in it among the first, while competition is minimal. This is, in essence, a call for entrepreneurial thinking even within salaried employment.
In this context, he once again returns to his favorite argument about Bitcoin's superiority as an asset. Saylor explains why traditional investments, such as real estate, carry a huge tax and operational burden, requiring active management. Bitcoin, by his logic, is a "tool" that allows ordinary people to invest in an asset that appreciates in value without unnecessary hassle. However, as events show, this strategy also carries serious risks.
The Flip Side of the Coin: The Reality of Strategy
It's worth noting that Saylor's calls come against the backdrop of challenging times for his own company. By August 16, Strategy had accumulated 840,447 BTC, spending about $63.36 billion on it at an average price of $75,385 per coin. Nevertheless, in the second quarter, the company recorded a net loss of $8.22 billion, directly linked to the volatility of the leading cryptocurrency. The company's shares have lost nearly 40% since the start of the year, and the strategy itself has been criticized for diluting shareholder stakes and recent BTC sales.
Saylor himself warns investors of upcoming "difficult years," which sounds like an acknowledgment of the vulnerability of his approach. Nevertheless, his advice on the need to combine deep expertise with AI skills seems to hold a grain of rationality. The ability to properly formulate queries is only a basic level. A sustainable advantage is created by the synergy of technological literacy and domain knowledge that machines are not yet capable of replacing.
My take: Saylor, as always, polarizes the audience. His career advice is, in essence, a manifesto for the "digital nomads" of a new era, where a person's value is determined not by the ability to perform tasks, but by the ability to set them. However, investors should remember that his aggressive strategy is a high-stakes game where volatility is an integral part of the game, not a random glitch.