“We’re in a transition era where generative AI and AI probably will transform society completely,” Ghodsi tells Fortune.
“One of the answers is, let’s educate everyone, at least on what the technology is like, so that they can use the new technology, so that they are set up for this new world that we’re sort of entering.”
But Databricks are far from the first group of young adults to first meet in the dormroom before heading to the boardroom together. In fact, many of the world’s largest tech companies have roots in top universities.
“The thing is, it never even occurred to me that someone might be us,” he said. “We were just college kids. We didn’t know anything about that. There were all these big technology companies with resources. I just assumed one of them would do it.”
“We’ve all started lifelong friendships here, and some of us even families,” Zuckerberg added. “That’s why I’m so grateful to this place. Thanks, Harvard.”
“People learn differently,” Zaharia tells Fortune. “Some people just need a team around you, otherwise you won’t even start on your homework.”
That’s partly why both he and Ghodsi remain as college professors themselves at Berkeley—to better connect education with industry, and help each of them grow. And thanks to AI, colleges are about to undergo a huge makeover that may make them worth the price tag.
“I think that education will be completely revolutionized, and I think it’s going to happen much faster than people think,” Ghodsi tells Fortune. The entire educational experience will be improved, he adds, by the ability to tailor coursework directly to the objectives and existing knowledge of students.
He adds those who embrace AI and learning will be able to open doors that weren’t even deemed possible just years ago.
“Follow a passion, pick a subject, go deep now, you can learn faster than ever, and you know, and the more you embrace this kind of technology, you’ll be also more kind of at the frontier,” Ghodsi says. “When an opportunity opens up for new types of jobs that we don’t even know about today, you’ll be the first to go into those.”
“Stay current with developments in AI and cloud technologies and be comfortable working in interdisciplinary teams,” Castro advises. “Most of all, treat learning as a lifelong pursuit, because in AI, what’s cutting-edge today may be table stakes tomorrow.”
