Venture capitalist Tim Draper stated on September 22 that his team is growing as it adopts artificial intelligence, rather than downsizing due to the technology. In a post on X, the founding partner of Draper Associates argued that AI users could outcompete workers who do not use the tools.
Draper asserted that his team can accomplish "10x more" with AI than without it. He qualified his initial statement that "AI will take everyone's jobs" by noting that "AI alone probably won't take your job. But someone using AI might." He contended that people would invent new jobs as AI changed existing work, framing competition between workers who adopt the technology and those who do not.
Shifting Demand for AI Skills
Draper divided worker responses to new technology into three groups: those who resist it, ignore it, or adopt it. He urged workers to experiment with AI in their industries and warned that competing businesses could use it to serve customers faster and at lower cost.
Job market data shows growing emphasis on AI proficiency. In June, 75% of tech job postings requested AI skills, up from 67% in March. The International Labour Organization's 2025 assessment found that one in four workers worldwide held an occupation with some exposure to generative AI, with researchers concluding that most affected jobs were more likely to change than disappear given the continued need for human input.
Projections on Job Creation and Displacement
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 surveyed employers who expected AI and information-processing technologies to create 11 million jobs and displace 9 million by 2030. These figures represent projections across the surveyed labor market rather than observed results, supporting a more nuanced outlook than Draper's opening statement that both job creation and displacement could occur during the same transition.
Draper has also connected AI to broader economic changes. In January, he described a future in which robots and AI work alongside people and use bitcoin for payments. His latest comments focus on workers and businesses expanding alongside AI adoption.
