Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) founder Michael Saylor has proposed a surprisingly simple yet profound formula for success for young professionals amid the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. His main thesis: don't try to compete with AI on its own turf—look for opportunities that others haven't noticed yet. He calls this approach "searching for a new S-curve."
Why it's useless to learn what AI can already do
Saylor is convinced that AI is increasingly taking over routine operations related to data processing. Therefore, mastering professions where machines are already stronger than humans is a dead-end path. "Don't learn to do what AI already knows how to do," he emphasizes. Instead, the expert advises focusing on setting tasks: "Better to learn how to ask AI to perform a task that no one has solved before."
In practice, this means creating new products or radically reducing the cost of existing services using neural networks. However, according to Saylor, the key asset remains unchanged—deep expertise in one's subject area. Without it, even a perfect prompt for ChatGPT won't provide a sustainable advantage.
The S-curve strategy: when to enter the game
Saylor compares technological progress to a classic S-curve: a slow start, a sharp rise, and subsequent stabilization. In his view, AI and related digital technologies are currently in the acceleration phase. The point is to spot a field that has just become possible and take a place in it among the first—before the main wave of players floods in.
This logic echoes his own arguments in favor of bitcoin as an asset. Saylor notes that traditional investments—real estate or company management—carry a huge tax and operational burden. "Investing in other companies is also difficult. That's why bitcoin is such an interesting tool. Why not just put money into an asset that grows 15% a year and forget about the problems?" he reasons.
My take on the situation
Saylor's advice sounds timely but requires an important caveat. The ability to skillfully formulate requests to AI is a basic skill, not a competitive advantage. Sustainable value is created only by a symbiosis of technical literacy and unique industry intuition. It is this synthesis that allows one to find those very "new S-curves" Saylor talks about. However, his own company is currently going through tough times: by August 16, Strategy holds 840,447 BTC purchased for $63.36 billion, but the second quarter brought a net loss of $8.22 billion due to market volatility. Shares have lost nearly 40% since the start of the year, and Saylor himself has warned investors of "difficult years" ahead. This is a reminder: even the boldest strategies require iron discipline and a readiness for turbulence.