Michael Saylor, founder and visionary behind Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), has once again confirmed his status as a prophet, this time in the realm of career development. His advice for young professionals sounds paradoxically simple but requires courage: don't try to compete with artificial intelligence in routine tasks, but rather seek out the new opportunities it opens up.
Saylor claims that AI is already taking on a significant portion of data work and standard operations. Therefore, learning skills that machines perform faster and more accurately is a dead-end path. Instead, he proposes a strategy of "finding a new S-curve." Technological progress always follows an S-shaped trajectory: slow start, explosive growth, plateau. The key moment is to enter the game precisely at the acceleration stage, when the technology is just beginning to change the rules.
According to Saylor, AI and related digital technologies are currently at exactly this inflection point. The point is not to learn prompts for ChatGPT, but to spot a field that has only just become possible and to carve out a place in it among the first. This could mean creating a fundamentally new product or applying AI to radically reduce the cost of existing services. However, he warns against losing deep expertise in your subject area — it is precisely the combination of professional knowledge and the ability to use AI that provides a sustainable advantage.
Investment philosophy in an era of change
Saylor also drew a parallel between career and investments, criticizing traditional assets. He notes that managing real estate or a business entails a complex tax and operational burden. In this context, bitcoin looks to him like the ideal tool: an asset that appreciates in value without requiring active management. "Why not simply put money into an asset that grows 15% a year and forget about the problems?" he reasons.
Research from Stanford University, conducted in July, confirms that AI's impact on employee productivity is generally positive, although the job market for graduates is tightening. This means that simply knowing how to ask the right queries is not enough — you need real value that you create.
The dark side of the strategy
However, the experience of Strategy itself serves as a reminder of the risks of aggressive strategies. The company holds 840,447 BTC (as of August 16), purchased at an average of $75,385 per coin, costing $63.36 billion. In the second quarter, the company recorded a net loss of $8.22 billion due to the decline in bitcoin's price. MSTR shares have lost nearly 40% since the start of the year, and the company itself faces criticism for diluting shareholder stakes and recent BTC sales. Saylor himself has warned investors of "difficult years" ahead.
My verdict: Saylor's advice about finding a new S-curve is a powerful metaphor for navigating a world where AI is becoming infrastructure. But don't forget that Saylor himself is building his empire on a volatile asset with leverage. In a career, as in investments, it's important not only to enter at the right time but also to properly calculate risks. Find your S-curve, but don't bet everything on it.