Why Tech Executives Still Want Their Kids in College—But Not for the Reason You'd Think

College's value proposition is collapsing in America's eyes: only one-third of Americans now believe a four-year degree justifies its cost for job prospects, according to an NBC News poll. The AI boom is accelerating the skepticism—47% of current college students have considered switching majors because of artificial intelligence, with 16% actually making the leap. Yet when Business Insider asked nine tech CEOs and executives how they're advising their own children about higher education, something surprising emerged: nearly all still champion college, just not as a direct pipeline to employment.

The reframing is radical. Matt Blumberg, CEO of Markup AI, explicitly tells his kids that "college does not have to funnel you directly into a particular job, especially in a world where that job might not exist in five years." Instead, tech leaders frame college as a crucible for building skills machines cannot replicate. Stephen Upstone (LoopMe) emphasizes independence, reasoning, and lifelong friendships. Ali Kashani (Serve Robotics) points to college as the place "where you learn how to learn, how to think critically, how to work hard, and how to become an independent adult." Greg Brown (Illumia) explicitly tells his children to avoid narrow specialization, instead using college to sharpen communication, critical thinking, judgment, and adaptability—capabilities that "will stay valuable for decades."

Interestingly, these executives aren't retreating from AI; they're integrating it. Kashani and others actively encourage children to build AI fluency, recognizing that "AI is going to shape nearly every industry." Tim Sheehan (Greenlight) bought his son a ChatGPT Plus subscription to help with physics and advanced math, but with strict guardrails: the tool explains concepts, but the student must do the thinking. This reflects a nuanced bet that college's future lies in teaching humans what AI cannot—judgment, adaptability, relationship-building, and learning how to learn.

However, the executives reveal deep fault lines about which colleges are worth the investment. Dan Ye (CollegeNode) bluntly questions whether college pays off "unless they can get into a top-30 university." Amy Kopelman (Pathlitics) is explicitly exploring alternatives for her 16-year-old daughter, emphasizing hands-on work and real-world experience. Justice Eroline (BairesDev) still treats college as a baseline expectation—"not to plan for exceptions"—but his caution speaks to how contingent the calculus has become. The consensus isn't that college is indispensable; it's that it remains valuable *if* pursued strategically, funded responsibly, and focused on building durable human capabilities rather than chasing majors that might evaporate.