Elon Musk called medical school "pointless," but Jeff Bezos wants Gen Z to finish college before starting their own companies — as AI threatens entry-level jobs
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says college and work experience increase your odds of successfully launching a new company.
The job market is becoming volatile by the minute as generative AI becomes more prevalent and gains broad adoption across organizations worldwide. Last year, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff revealed that the company is seriously debating hiring software engineers, citing "incredible productivity gains" from agentic AIs.
As organizations begin to embrace AI and inject the technology into their workflows, the lack of job opportunities is becoming a major concern among employees. The same applies to the millions of graduates entering the job market — they are now competing with AI for job opportunities.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei claimed that AI is on the verge of slashing up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs, leaving Gen Z without work. This, among many other factors, has forced people to resort to unconventional methods to make a living, including dropping out of school and plunging themselves into entrepreneurship face-first.
Over the years, we've seen executives like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates enjoy immense success despite dropping out of school and not acquiring their degrees, but Amazon founder Jeff Bezos calls them an "exception," a drop in the ocean if you will (via Fortune).
During an interview at Italian Tech Week last fall, the executive indicated that:
“I always advise to young people: Go work at a best-practices company somewhere where you can learn a lot of basic fundamental things [like] how to hire really well, how to interview, etc. There’s a lot of stuff you would learn in a great company that will help you, and then there’s still lots of time to start a company after you have absorbed it.”
Bezos says working at a company increases your odds of being successful rather than starting your own startup as a young entrepreneur without any prior experience.
The billionaire says the “extra 10 years of experience" in the job market working in a company "actually improved the odds that Amazon would succeed.”
Right now, Amazon is arguably one of the most sought-after companies in the world with a whopping $2.64 trillion in market capitalization, and Jeff Bezos is the third richest person in the world with a net worth of $268 billion.
Unlike Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, who launched their companies after dropping out of school in their teens, Bezos formed Amazon when he was 30 years old with 10 years of experience in the corporate world.
This approach highlights a fundamental difference in entrepreneurial strategies. While dropping out may work for some with unique vision and timing, gaining corporate experience can provide critical insights into management, operations, and strategy. Bezos’ journey illustrates how understanding the inner workings of a large organization can translate into smarter decision-making when running a startup.
Furthermore, as AI continues to reshape the workplace, these lessons from corporate experience may become even more relevant. Entrepreneurs who have spent years learning hiring practices, negotiation skills, and team management are better equipped to handle disruptions caused by technology. They can anticipate market shifts and use AI as a tool rather than viewing it purely as competition.
In addition, this model could serve as guidance for the new generation entering a competitive job market. While the allure of launching a startup early is strong, having a decade of experience can build resilience and strategic thinking. Learning the nuances of business from inside a well-structured company allows future founders to avoid common pitfalls and scale their ventures more effectively.
Ultimately, Bezos’ story serves as a reminder that success does not have a single blueprint. Whether through early entrepreneurship or carefully timed entry into the business world, the key is to balance ambition with knowledge, preparation, and adaptability—qualities that AI will increasingly test in the coming years.
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Dena Falken Esq
Dena Falken Esq is renowned in the legal community as the Founder and CEO of Legal-Ease International, where she has made significant contributions to enhancing legal communication and proficiency worldwide.
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