OP #271: Essential Skills for the AI-Powered World

Author

Darren Herman
October 08, 2024

Another week, another OP letter. In an intention to continually making the OP better, please feel free to reach out with feedback: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I appreciate the feedback and additionally, getting to know all of the subscribers in the OP community.

📽 Congrats to my pal Andrew who leaves the NBA to be the CEO of Dude Perfect, a channel on YouTube with more than 60M followers.

📉 Carta has a gem of a data source for all to see.  If you are at all interested in investing and startups (and later stage), there is at on of data available to sift through. Here’s their state of pre-seed: Q2 2024.

👨 Provocative TED Talk from Scott Galloway on Why Young People Are Worse Off Than Their Parents. This specific version is moderated by TED’s Chris Anderson and dives deep into audience participation in the end.

🎨 Strands of Genius included a link in their newsletter which focused on 6 industry defining trends as pulled from over 150 One Show jurors. The One Club for Creativity is an organization that celebrates creativity and the jury reviewed over 20,000 submissions across 65 countries. Slide 5 in the deck (link) highlights the exec summary.

💥 The Ohtani Effect is real.  This should be a solid playoff year which will boost viewership of MLB games.

💡 Politics aside, Elon Musk is one of, if not the top, entrepreneur we’ve seen in a very, very long time. I actually think he may go down in history as the #1 entrepreneur and visionary.  There’s a great interview from the All-In Summit 2024 that I watched while in the gym and really enjoyed it. He covers a lot of ground and has some really interesting insights. I particularly enjoyed the robotics part of the conversation which talked about how GDP may actually rise because of increased production due to increased “people.”

💰 My good friend and former co-founder of IGA, Andrew, is fundraising for his privacy centric agentic AI platform. In simple words (mine, not his), think Firefox to WWW as Kynismos to AI. If you are interested in learning more about Kynismos, please reach out to Andrew ([email protected]).

🏀The Knicks tipped off on Sunday, with a pre-season win against Charlotte. While the game actually means nothing, it was good to see NBA basketball back in action.

Here are a few links to get us started:

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Darren

As artificial intelligence shows promise to reshape industries at breakneck speed, it’s no longer enough to be tech-savvy or a subject-matter expert. Succeeding in this AI-powered era requires a specific blend of technical knowledge, adaptability, and strategic thinking. It reminds me a lot of the early 90s with the world wide web making its debut. As we’ve spoken about in previous OP letters, it’s the same cupcake, just with different sprinkles.

With AI transforming everything from decision-making processes to how organizations approach innovation, here are the top skill sets and characteristics that I believe will define the winners in this brave new world.

1. Adaptability and Continuous Learning

The hallmark of anyone who will thrive in the AI era is adaptability. As AI technologies evolve, the ability to continuously learn, unlearn, and relearn becomes crucial. The pace of change is faster than ever, and those who are stuck in their ways or fail to keep pace with new developments will be left behind. Individuals need to embrace a mindset of lifelong learning, whether it’s mastering a new programming language, understanding AI ethics, or staying updated on industry-specific innovations.

If I was still a student, in high school, college, or post-grad, I’d be tinkering with AI as my main project. I did this with the web way-back-when and now I’d do similar, just leveraging AI tools. I’d go all-in on understanding data structure, systems thinking, and process optimization.

2. Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving

While AI can automate many processes and streamline decision-making, it can’t replace the nuanced, creative thinking required for strategic business decisions. People who excel in this landscape will be those who understand how to frame problems, ask the right questions, and leverage AI tools to find innovative solutions. AI excels at processing data, but it’s up to humans to determine how to best use that data to solve complex, real-world problems.

I think this part is often overlooked by many.  I’ve heard many execs think they will be out of a job in a few years.  Well, if they aren’t adding value, then maybe. But if they are good strategic thinkers and problem solvers, they will get super powers from AI, not job loss.

3. Interdisciplinary Knowledge

The future workforce will need to blend technical know-how with domain expertise. AI tools are powerful, but their effectiveness depends on their users understanding both the technology and the specific context in which it operates. For example, marketers need to know how to use AI for customer segmentation, while medical professionals must understand AI’s role in diagnostics. Professionals with interdisciplinary knowledge, combining expertise in their industry with an understanding of AI technologies, will be best positioned to lead.

4. Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

As machines handle more technical tasks, soft skills like emotional intelligence, communication, and leadership become even more valuable. Leaders in the AI era will need to manage teams that include both humans and AI, making emotional intelligence key for fostering collaboration and guiding organizations through disruptive changes. The ability to communicate complex AI-driven strategies in a way that resonates across different departments and teams will be a hallmark of successful leaders.

I think this is the biggest leap:  learning how to manage a team of humans and machines. I’m excited to see the college courses emerge who teach this.

5. Ethical Judgment and Accountability

With AI comes an array of ethical dilemmas, from privacy issues to algorithmic bias. Those who will lead in this new era must be able to navigate the moral implications of AI decision-making and ensure transparency and fairness in AI-driven solutions. Understanding and mitigating the ethical risks associated with AI is not just a technical issue but a leadership one. Those who excel in the future will be accountable for both the benefits and the potential pitfalls of AI technologies.

So, what is the bad box to be in? Someone who has not dabbled in AI yet.  Seriously, go sign up for a ChatGPT account and start asking some questions. It’s as simple as that.  Go use Perplexity and do something similar. Maybe add Midjourney and design something. If you aren’t using AI today, you’re missing out on having super powers. At most, those super powers cost you $20/mo.  Feels like a good trade to me.

The more you expose yourself to this technological evolution, the better setup you will be to accelerate off it. Now is the time.

Reminder: those who learned HTML by 1995 had a pretty good career over the next couple of decades.

Interesting Jobs

As I navigate the web and sift through countless emails, I often stumble upon some truly intriguing job opportunities. Below, you'll find a few that caught my attention. If any of these spark your interest, feel free to explore and apply using the link provided.

Marketing & Communications Lead - NBA Nigeria. My take: It’s no secret that the NBA is looking to expand. Why not lead the marketing expansion in Africa? This is cool.

Enterprise Product Marketing Lead - Perplexity. My take: search share in the US may change for the first time in decades. Perplexity is one of the challengers who is making headway. Also some Front End Software Engineer and AI Inference positions.

Manager, Analytics - Gale. My take: If you want to rise fast in a marketing organization, understanding analytics is key. At Gale, they take it seriously and is a great learning ground.

Head of Gaming Industry, China - Snap. My take: China is one of the largest markets for video games and if you are looking for a gaming / digital platform hybrid opportunity, this is really interesting.

Below are a few articles I came across this past week that I found interesting. While I may not agree with everything in each one, I think they're worth a read. If you stumble upon an article you think I or the Operating Partner community would enjoy, feel free to share it with me. Of course, I reserve the right to decide what gets featured in the OP.

Asking the Wrong Questions (Benedict Evans)

The Best Ads of 2024 (So Far) (AdAge)

Be Your Own Bitch (Fred Wilson)

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