Replit CEO Amjad Masad on What Young People Should Learn in the AI Era

Erik Torenberg sits down with Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad and Horowitz and Andreessen Academy co-founder and CEO Gagan Biyani to ask what education should look like for a generation growing up with AI. Amjad argues that one of the most valuable things young people bring to society is their willingness to question deeply held assumptions. They discuss how education could create more room for that instinct through project-based learning, intellectual side quests, and giving students the freedom to follow an idea deeply rather than optimizing around grades and credentials. They also explore whether young founders are being pushed to professionalize too early, why Amjad thinks starting a company can sometimes be a form of “premature optimization,” and how curiosity led him from learning chess to experimenting with AI that can conduct machine-learning research. Finally, they discuss trust, judgment, and what it means to develop as a person, not just a builder, including why being contrarian and ambitious still needs to be balanced with the ability to work with other people. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - "The City and the Stars": Why Young People Should Be Heretics 05:36 - Designing Your Ideal 18-to-22 Experience in 2026 11:20 - Why Curiosity-Driven Learning Actually Works 14:46 - The Counter-Critique: Are Kids Professionalizing Too Soon? 19:40 - The Entrepreneur & the Intellectual: Balancing Both 24:02 - Learning to Follow vs Learning to Lead 35:40 - Discernment & Meta Retard Maxing: When to Trust Elders 36:38 - Beyond Skills: How Do You Actually Become a Good Person? 44:02 - What Amjad Looks for in Young Talent Resources: Follow Amjad Masad on X: https://x.com/amasad Follow Gagan Biyani on X: https://x.com/gaganbiyani Learn more about HAA: https://www.a16z.news/p/introducing-the-horowitz-andreessen Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

Amjad MasadguestGagan BiyaniguestErik Torenberghost

Sep 23, 202647mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 23, 2026
Duration: 47m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Erik Torenberg sits down with Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad and Horowitz and Andreessen Academy co-founder and CEO Gagan Biyani to ask what education should look like for a generation growing up with AI. Amjad argues that one of the most valuable things young people bring to society is their willingness to question deeply held assumptions. They discuss how education could create more room for that instinct through project-based learning, intellectual side quests, and giving students the freedom to follow an idea deeply rather than optimizing around grades and credentials. They also explore whether young founders are being pushed to professionalize too early, why Amjad thinks starting a company can sometimes be a form of “premature optimization,” and how curiosity led him from learning chess to experimenting with AI that can conduct machine-learning research. Finally, they discuss trust, judgment, and what it means to develop as a person, not just a builder, including why being contrarian and ambitious still needs to be balanced with the ability to work with other people. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - "The City and the Stars": Why Young People Should Be Heretics 05:36 - Designing Your Ideal 18-to-22 Experience in 2026 11:20 - Why Curiosity-Driven Learning Actually Works 14:46 - The Counter-Critique: Are Kids Professionalizing Too Soon? 19:40 - The Entrepreneur & the Intellectual: Balancing Both 24:02 - Learning to Follow vs Learning to Lead 35:40 - Discernment & Meta Retard Maxing: When to Trust Elders 36:38 - Beyond Skills: How Do You Actually Become a Good Person? 44:02 - What Amjad Looks for in Young Talent Resources: Follow Amjad Masad on X: https://x.com/amasad Follow Gagan Biyani on X: https://x.com/gaganbiyani Learn more about HAA: https://www.a16z.news/p/introducing-the-horowitz-andreessen Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Amjad Masad
guest
CEO of Replit, focused on AI-powered software creation and developer tools.
Gagan Biyani
guest
Entrepreneur working on an alternative “academy”/education model emphasizing project-based learning and AI tools.
Erik Torenberg
host
a16z podcast host and interviewer covering technology, startups, and culture.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Amjad Masad and Gagan Biyani, Replit CEO Amjad Masad on What Young People Should Learn in the AI Era explores aI-era education should cultivate heretical curiosity, projects, and character Amjad Masad argues the core societal value of young people is to be “heretics” who question entrenched assumptions, while modern college often trains conformity and risk aversion.

RELATED EPISODES