The haves and have nots of the AI gold rush
The current AI boom has created a significant divide between those who have achieved substantial wealth and those who feel left behind. Many in the tech industry are experiencing layoffs and uncertainty about their career paths. This situation has led to a sense of malaise regarding the future of work.
- ▪Deedy Das from Menlo Ventures noted that around 10,000 individuals in AI have achieved retirement wealth exceeding $20 million.
- ▪There is a growing concern among software engineers that their skills may no longer be relevant in the evolving job market.
- ▪The atmosphere in San Francisco is described as frenetic, with a stark contrast between the wealthy elite and those struggling to find stability.
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In Brief Posted: 1:17 PM PDT · May 16, 2026 Image Credits:z_wei / Getty Images Anthony Ha The haves and have nots of the AI gold rush The vibes around the current AI boom aren’t great, even in the tech industry, according to a lengthy social media post from Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das. Das described San Francisco as “pretty frenetic right now,” as “the divide in outcomes is the worst I’ve ever seen.” Using a “back of the envelope AI calculation,” he projected that there are around 10,000 people — founders and employees at companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia — that have “hit retirement wealth of well above $20M,” while everyone else worries “they can work their well-paying (but <$500k) job for their whole life and never get there.” Plus, “layoffs are in full swing,” and “many…
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