AI is coming for your job, a saying that is becoming more prevalent than Jesus. Unfortunately, it is also not entirely wrong. AI-led mass layoffs have been making headlines every other day now. From automation replacing routine tasks to companies restructuring around new technologies, the workforce is shifting faster than ever.
Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur and longtime Shark Tank investor, has seen countless industries disrupted by technology. Now, Mark Cuban is offering some no-cost advice for young people entering today’s AI-powered job market, including his own kids.
To quote him directly, “So, I got two kids in college, and what I tell them is if you were looking for a job at a big company, you’re not going to get it.”
Mark Cuban Career Tips For the AI Era
Lucky for us, Mark wasn’t going to gatekeep the wisdom he imparted to his kids. Here is what he had to say.
1. Cuban on Where The Jobs Are
Mark Cuban said new graduates will struggle to get hired at large companies right now. Those businesses don’t need extra help bringing AI into their operations, considering they can handle it themselves for now.
He elucidated on the same, saying: “The small to middle-sized companies need all the help they can get from AI natives. Because walking in and understanding AI and being able to implement for that company is a huge step forward to them. So I think that’s one way we will adjust.”
2. Turn Your Phone Into Your Biggest Asset
Cuban’s follow-up advice to his kids was to lean on the tech tools and advantages they already have access to. To be specific, he said, “There’s no better time to be in college or just graduating than right now, because you have more resources available to you in your phone than anybody in the history of everything.”
“If you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to do whatever it is, you have every expert that’s right there available to you,” he further added on the matter.
Where AI Falls Short in Hiring
Many business leaders have been telling young people to turn their experience with AI tools into something that sets them apart when applying for jobs. How useful that is, realistically, is a work in progress. AI has its limitations, and it becomes counterproductive when recruiters also use AI to skim through resumes.
The outcome of that? AI will leave out your resume if it does not have the right buzzword in the exact framing it has been programmed to read.
Beyond filtering out resumes, AI recruiting tools have also raised concerns about bias. Algorithms can unintentionally exclude qualified candidates if their experience doesn’t fit rigid patterns, creating new challenges for job seekers trying to stand out.
Reid Hoffman’s Take on Generation AI
LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman has also described today’s youth as “generation AI.” He basically wants this cohort to see themselves as truly “AI native.”
He had said, “Bringing the fact that you have AI in your tool set is one of the things that makes you enormously attractive. Look, on this side, it’s transforming the workspace, entry-level work, and employers’ confusion. But on this side, it’s making you able to show your unique capabilities. That, you know, in an environment with a bunch of older people, you might be able to help them out.”
The Rising Toll of AI-Driven Layoffs
AI-driven automation has already started disrupting the job market. In the first six months of 2025, more than 77,000 positions worldwide were eliminated directly due to automation. Overall, layoffs in the tech sector topped 94,000.
Analysts predict that as AI continues to broaden its ghastly grip, the impact will grow and result in the displacement of millions of roles across various industries over the next decade.
The shift raises concerns about how workers will adapt and what skills will be most in demand in an increasingly automated economy.
Adapting Faster: Cuban’s Key to Success
The future in the workforce may feel uncertain, but it isn’t all doom and gloom. Cuban’s message is less about fearing AI and more about recognizing the possibilities it creates.
Large companies may be harder to break into, but smaller businesses and entrepreneurial paths are wide open for those who know how to use these tools.
His advice to lean on the resources in your pocket (quite literally) and think differently about where opportunities lie reflects a larger truth. Success in the age of AI won’t come from resisting change, but from adapting faster than the world around you.
