Garry Tan: AI Agents Will Change Everything in 2 Years, and Most People Aren't Ready

Y Combinator leader Garry Tan details the rigorous selection process for startups, emphasizing that a ten-minute interview is sufficient to identify transformative potential in founders. The discussion centers on the necessity of maintaining a meritocratic, open-market ecosystem to counter the monopolistic tendencies of big tech. Tan advocates for antitrust enforcement to prevent self-preferencing by dominant platforms, arguing that "little tech" is the essential antidote to corporate stagnation. Furthermore, he highlights the transformative power of AI agents, which he views as a fundamental operating system rather than a mere feature, capable of augmenting human productivity and agency. While acknowledging the risks of job displacement, Tan maintains that fostering an environment where individuals can leverage their unique domain expertise through AI tools will ultimately generate greater prosperity and innovation, provided that markets remain accessible and competitive.