Eric Schmidt speech about AI booed during graduation

Reaction to the Speech and Booing

• Many see the “future is yours to shape” line as a generic graduation cliché that turns sour in the context of AI layoffs and tech-led disruption.
• Others think the line is being over-interpreted due to prior hostility toward AI and the speaker; out of context it reads as standard inspiration.
• Several argue the boos targeted not the words but the messenger: a wealthy architect of the previous tech wave telling precarious grads to “embrace” a transformation that may displace them.
• Some note separate reasons to dislike the speaker (e.g., no‑poach policies, abuse allegations), suggesting the booing wasn’t just about AI.

Jobs, Careers, and Economic Anxiety

• Strong fear that LLMs will erode entry‑level white‑collar jobs and devalue new degrees, especially for those without elite connections.
• People highlight hypocrisy: CEOs say “learn AI to succeed” while simultaneously using AI rhetoric to justify hiring freezes and layoffs.
• Skeptics see AI as another offshoring/automation wave; optimistic rhetoric about UBI or shared abundance is viewed as implausible given current politics.

Perceptions of AI and LLMs

• Experiences diverge sharply: some report “everyone I know hates LLMs,” others say “everyone I know uses and likes them,” and some emphasize generational and class splits.
• Many non‑technical people already use AI (chatbots, image generators, search summaries) but may resent its labor implications.
• Some see AI as an amazing tool for learning, code, research, and creativity; others see primarily low‑quality “slop” and fraud at scale.

Power, Inequality, and Corporate Behavior

• Recurrent theme: resentment toward billionaires and big tech profiting from tools marketed as job destroyers while blocking regulation and safety nets.
• AI is framed as the latest “business model” after surveillance ads, with datacenters, energy use, and financial bubbles as externalities.
• Several criticize corporate AI rollouts: vague “use AI” mandates tied to performance reviews, token‑spend leaderboards, AI‑written planning docs detached from reality.

Free Speech, Protest, and “Open Debate”

• Some say booing violates “open debate”; others counter that a one‑way commencement speech by a powerful figure isn’t real debate, so booing is one of few available counters.
• Booing is framed by supporters as legitimate feedback to power, not denial of AI’s existence.

Visions of the AI Future

• Optimistic visions: technological deflation, dangerous/menial work automated, cheaper goods, more time for family, art, and community.
• Pessimistic visions: permanent underclass on (or without) UBI, loss of purpose, corporate/authoritarian control, enshittified AI platforms.
• Thread consensus: AI’s trajectory is less about the tech itself and more about who controls it and how the gains are distributed.