Fortune
RSS FeedPalantir CEO says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs but there will be ‘more than enough jobs’ for people with vocational training
Original Published: January 20, 2026••🔴Concerning
🎯 Impact Sentiment: Concerning
📋 Summary
- Palantir CEO Alex Karp warns that AI will "destroy humanities jobs," especially for those with non-technical, generalist degrees from elite schools.
- Karp suggests that people with vocational training or specialized skills will fare better in an AI-driven job market.
- Other executives, like BlackRock's Robert Goldstein and McKinsey's Bob Sternfels, argue that liberal arts graduates still offer value, pointing to creativity and out-of-the-box thinking as important qualities.
- Palantir has launched internship programs targeting high schoolers, criticizing traditional university pathways for lacking meritocracy and real-world skills.
💡 JR Insights
- 💼 Implication: If you have a traditional humanities or generalist background, you’re at much higher risk of being sidelined by AI—unless you make a conscious pivot toward acquiring technical, practical, or specialized skills.
- 🚨 Risk: There’s a real threat of “elite” non-technical degrees quickly losing their market value, putting recent and future humanities grads in a tough spot unless they rapidly adapt or cross-train.
- ✨ Takeaway: Don’t wait—invest in building concrete, marketable skills through vocational training, certifications, or hands-on projects to future-proof your career, especially if your main background is non-technical.