@FinanceYF5: 1/ AI can do most of the things you plan to do—so what's left for you? An a16z investor gave me an answer that made me think for a long time. It's not 'find a job that AI can't do,' it's another older question
Summary
An a16z investor offers an ancient and thought-provoking answer to the question of AI replacing most jobs, sparking a discussion on personal core value.
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Cached at: 06/20/26, 10:24 PM
1/ AI can do most of the things you plan to do—then what’s left for you?
An a16z investor gave an answer that’s had me thinking for a long time.
It’s not “find work that AI can’t do”; it’s another, older question. 👇 https://t.co/ZmZkG2Cb2g
2/ She quoted the Roman Emperor Hadrian:
“There comes a time in life when you either destroy yourself or surpass yourself.”
She said this moment isn’t just for individuals. The whole civilization is now standing at that crossroads.
3/ Two paths lie ahead:
Hand everything over to AI, sink into endless content, become more isolated and more suspicious.
Or—go to space, build clean energy, conquer disease, do the things that take generations to complete.
She believes the choice we make now will really determine which direction history goes.
4/ She mentioned a detail from The Expanse:
Materially abundant Earth is spiritually dead. The Martians live a fulfilling life—not because they’re tougher, but because they share a project that takes centuries to finish.
No single person will live to see it completed. That’s where the real sense of meaning comes from.
5/ Medieval stonemasons building cathedrals knew they would never see the spire finished.
But they weren’t building for themselves; they were building for eternity.
Now we ship things in a quarter, and then wonder why no one feels like part of something bigger.
6/ So her answer to young people asking “What should I do?” is this:
Go do the things where the answers aren’t obvious. Energy, defense, manufacturing, space—they need people, but no one is going.
Not because of market opportunity, but because the era is calling for it.
7/ Life is driven by momentum.
You’re either moving forward or backward. Act—right or wrong—then act again.
Surpass yourself.
What do you think is one thing today that’s bigger than a single human life?
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