Altman Urges Two-Year College Path as AI Widens Youth Jobs Gap

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman says students may benefit from leaving college after two years to build products or start companies, arguing that generative AI allows small teams to achieve what once required much larger workforces. The proposal echoes Silicon Valley’s dropout-founder tradition, but it comes as universities and employers reassess how much formal education, practical experience and entry-level training young workers need in an AI-driven economy.

Altman’s latest advice is colliding with evidence that the early-career labor market is becoming less forgiving. Stanford University researchers found that employment among workers aged 22 to 25 in occupations highly exposed to AI fell 13% relative to less-exposed peers after generative AI began spreading widely in late 2022. The findings suggest that leaving school early may offer entrepreneurial upside, while also exposing young people to a shrinking pool of entry-level jobs.