Sam Altman is “chronically disappointed” with Gen Z, says it doesn’t want to try new things
Disappointment goes both ways.
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- Altman says many business students chase ideas that were popular years ago instead of building new AI companies.
- Altman expects AI to perform many current work tasks better, cheaper, and faster.
- He says some work will stay human-centered because people may resist taking advice from AI consultants.
- A Gallup survey says 48% of employed Gen Zers see more workplace risk than benefit from AI.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed a “chronic disappointment” with business students who are stuck in old ways of doing things rather than building companies using AI.
Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business event, Altman predicted that AI will perform most tasks people do today “better, cheaper, faster.”
“Wide swaths of current jobs – the way they are done today – will be entirely done by AI,” he said.
While AI won’t cause a job apocalypse the way people imagine it, according to Altman, the short-term changeover is coming. Nevertheless, some jobs will remain human-centric.
“Almost no one wants the AI consultant to show up and tell them what to do,” Altman said.
When asked for career advice, Altman criticized students for the lack of innovation.
My chronic disappointment in MBA students is that they always want to just go and do the thing that was cool like 5 years ago and not do the new thing. I think it’s a great time to go and do something new,OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
After the host noted that AI is currently “the cool thing,” Altman insisted that it isn’t a good time to start a copy of OpenAI.
“It is a good time to build another company using OpenAI’s technology,” he added.
Young people are skeptical about AI
The disappointment may be mutual, as younger generations are skeptical of AI, which is increasingly cited as a reason for mass layoffs across sectors, while industry insiders warn that self-improving technology could wipe out humanity in the next decade.
Among Gen Z employees, only 21% of women and 42% of men are positive about AI, compared to 50% of Gen X men and 42% of women, according to a 2026 Glassdoor analysis.
AI adoption is linked to the diminishing number of junior roles, which are usually filled by recent graduates, potentially explaining why younger generations are pessimistic about the technology.
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A 2026 Stanford study suggests declines in employment are concentrated specifically in occupations where observed AI usage is “more automating than complementary,” especially affecting younger workers.
Unsurprisingly, nearly half (48%) of employed Gen Zers say the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh the potential benefits, compared to 15% who say that the technology comes with more benefits than risks, according to a 2026 Gallup survey.