As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries, many leaders warn that entry-level jobs could disappear, leaving young workers with fewer opportunities.
Reddit is taking a different approach. Steve Huffman, CEO, Reddit, has said the company plans to hire more new graduates, viewing them as “AI native” employees who grew up using tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney. He believes this makes them naturally skilled at working with AI and more productive than older hires who may be slower to adapt.
Reddit is embedding AI into its products, such as Reddit Answers, which provides AI-generated responses based on user discussions. The company is also selling its data to major AI firms such as Google and OpenAI. Huffman argues that new graduates are well-suited to help build these AI-driven products because they already know how to programme and create with AI.
He sees AI not as a way to cut jobs but as a force multiplier that allows engineers and other employees to build faster and more effectively. In his view, companies that hire early-career talent will gain an edge, while those that rely only on automation may miss out.
This stance comes at a time when many students and young professionals are worried about AI replacing junior roles in fields such as software engineering.
Industry voices such as that of Dario Amodei , CEO, Anthropic, have predicted that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs by 2030, potentially driving unemployment up to 20 per cent. Against this backdrop, Reddit’s focus on hiring new graduates offers a more optimistic outlook, positioning them as central to the future of work in an AI-driven economy.