Sam Altman just said what we've always felt: Listening to old people might be the biggest mistake

When Sam Altman walked into Dogra Hall at IIT Delhi, he didn't give the usual "work hard, follow your passion" speech. Instead, the OpenAI CEO delivered a message that hit straight at Gen Z's biggest anxiety, the future of jobs in the age of AI.

And yes, he said something that probably made a lot of parents uncomfortable.

Altman told students that blindly following traditional career advice, even from well-meaning parents, could backfire in a world changing this fast.

“I think listening to old people is the biggest mistake young people make,” he said, quickly clarifying that parents are essential for values, not necessarily for predicting the future of work.



Your parents grew up in a world where there were stable jobs that lasted decades, career paths were linear and degrees guaranteed security. But now we are growing up in a world where entire job categories can vanish in five years, and AI tools can outperform humans in specific tasks.

Altman's point isn't "ignore your parents". It's this: they didn't grow up in an AI-native world; you did.

Altman didn't sugarcoat it. He warned that AI won't just automate scientific discovery; it could automate parts of the entire economy. He even said his one-year-old will grow up never knowing a world where he was "smarter than a computer".

Why this is bigger than job loss

It's about redefining what work even means. Humans are shifting toward creativity, judgement and emotional intelligence, and productivity is exploding in ways we can't fully predict.

Historically, technology destroys some roles but creates new industries. The difference now? The speed.



Throughout his talk, Altman emphasised 'agency', the belief that you can shape your own future. He said, "Agency is a learnable skill" "The world kind of beats it out of you."

For our generation, navigating economic uncertainty, rapid tech shifts and social pressure, that mindset could be the real competitive edge. In a world where AI lowers barriers to building and launching ideas, initiative becomes more powerful than ever.

Altman also encouraged students to be less afraid of failure. He noted that many people, especially in highly competitive academic environments, are risk-averse. "My willingness to fail allows me to succeed," he said.



During a rapid-fire round, when asked what skill every IIT student should build this year, Altman's answer was simple: 'Resilience.'

Moreover, Altman's message wasn't about rejecting advice or fearing AI. It was about recognising that this generation is stepping into a future unlike any before and that waiting for someone else to define it may be the biggest mistake of all.