In the age of AI, almost everyone is looking for a way to protect themselves. From recent college graduates to veteran professionals with decades of experience, there’s no certainty that the jobs of today won’t be swiftly taken away by the machines of tomorrow.
It may be too early to spot winners and losers in this widespread disruption, but Palantir CEO Alex Karp believes he’s spotted the ultimate survivors.
“There are basically two ways to know you have a future,” the 58-year-old billionaire said on TBPN (1). “One, you have some vocational training, or two, you’re neurodivergent.”
Here’s why the head of one of the largest AI companies in the world believes you may be at risk if you don’t fit into these two categories.
Resistant or adaptable
It’s easy to see why Karp believes those with vocational training may be well-positioned for the AI era. There’s a growing consensus that blue-collar skills that require physical presence and manual dexterity are much harder to automate, making them somewhat resistant to the AI disruption currently underway.
Skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers and carpenters are “AI-proof,” according to Monster career expert Vicki Salemi, per CNBC (2).
Even Geoffrey Hinton, the Canadian-British computer scientist known as the “Godfather of AI,” suggested becoming a plumber could be a career to consider in this environment. The technology was more well-equipped to take jobs away from people who offer “mundane intellectual labor,” he said on The Diary Of A CEO podcast.
However, plugging leaky drain pipes isn’t the only way to avoid the machine revolution. Another way, according to Karp, is to be mentally creative and adaptable.
Karp, who has spoken openly about his own dyslexia, argues that neurodivergent individuals — including those with ADHD, dyslexia or autism — often possess a unique, non-linear way of thinking which could help them find solutions and offer value that AI can’t (4). These creative problem-solvers also have an edge in the ongoing AI wave.
Does this mean neurotypical knowledge workers are doomed? Not necessarily, because there is a third category that Karp may have missed.
What if you’re neither?
If you haven’t been diagnosed with ADHD and are simply uninterested in trade school, unemployment isn’t the only option.
If you’ve already accumulated a sizable amount of capital, becoming an investor could provide another alternative. If you have years of experience picking stocks and bonds, you’re in the perfect position to get started.
But even if you’re new to investing, capital markets have been democratized in recent years — meaning ordinary investors can begin learning how to make such a transition, and certain tools can make this process easier.
Moby, for example, offers expert research and recommendations to help you identify strong, long-term investments backed by advice from former hedge fund analysts.
In four years, and across almost 400 stock picks, their recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by almost 12% on average. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Moby’s team spends hundreds of hours sifting through financial news and data to provide you with stock and crypto reports delivered straight to you. Their research keeps you up-to-the-minute on market shifts and can help you reduce the guesswork behind choosing stocks and ETFs.
Plus, their reports are easy to understand for beginners, so you can become a smarter investor in just five minutes.
And platforms like Robinhood are designed to make investing simpler and more approachable.
If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can also buy and sell individual stocks, fractional shares and options (for qualified traders) — backed by 24/7 support. Stocks, ETFs and their options trades are commission-free.
With access to popular ETFs like the Vanguard S&P 500, you can build diversified exposure without needing to pick individual stocks.
The platform also offers both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, so you can choose the tax strategy that fits your retirement plan.
With its recurring investment feature, you can set up automatic investments of your preferred fractional shares, stocks and ETFs on your own schedule.
Over time, this helps make investing a habit and steadily grows your portfolio.
As Warren Buffett once told Charlie Rose: “You don’t need to be a genius” to be a good investor (5). In an era where everyone has an AI genius at their fingertips, that’s a good thing.
