Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen says the AI era will reward generalists who can connect dots across disciplines, arguing people with broad, cross-domain knowledge will have an edge over deep specialists in most fields.
Marc Andreessen Says AI Turns Breadth Into A Competitive Advantage
In a May interview with TBPN, Andreessen framed the trade-off, saying, "I think there’s basically like two ways to really have a differentiated edge… go deep or go broad."
He acknowledged that specialization "really matters" in some areas. "There are domains in which that like really matters… biotech and working on AI foundational models like that, that stuff really matters. The deeper you are, the better."
Generalists Connect Disciplines And Effectively Lead Teams
But he said for most work, he'd "bet more on basically people who can be broad… can you know something about a lot of different kind of aspects of life and how the world works? And then you can use the AI to go deep whenever you need to."
The human advantage, he said, is to "cross the domains, across the disciplines," noting great tech CEOs are "multidisciplinary," strong at "product… sales… marketing… legal… finance," and able to "cross and combine them."
Leaders Split On Depth's Role In The AI Age
Andreessen's logic rests on AI as an on-demand depth amplifier. AI tools can "go deep" quickly, while humans create value by synthesizing across fields and steering teams. He still carves out exceptions like biotech and cutting-edge AI research, where deep expertise remains paramount.
Some prominent leaders echo the value of breadth and constant learning. Microsoft Corp.'s Satya Nadella has pushed a "learn-it-all" culture over a "know-it-all" mindset, a stance he and Bill Gates have tied to faster adaptation in fast-moving tech cycles.
Others counter that the AI frontier still depends on hard-won depth. Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis recently highlighted the global scramble for elite researchers as firms race to build next-generation foundation models, calling Meta Platforms Inc.’s aggressive talent poaching a "rational" move because it is "behind and they need to do something."
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