Microsoft president Brad Smith has a message for students booing tech CEOs: I agree with you, but…

▤ Summary

Brad Smith responds to student protests over AI by arguing that technology typically changes jobs rather than eliminating human ambition. He frames the current backlash as a warning to the tech industry and says leaders should listen more carefully to concerns about AI’s impact on entry-level work. The essay also links Microsoft’s business fortunes to employment, noting that people, not machines, buy products. Smith urges graduates to combine domain expertise with AI fluency and to lean on human skills such as curiosity, creativity, compassion, communication, and courage.

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