Meta’s newly appointed Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang, asserts that the greatest opportunity for the next generation lies in mastering artificial intelligence, akin to how Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg capitalized on early computer technology. During his appearance on the TBPN podcast at Meta Connect 2025, Wang encouraged today’s teenagers to immerse themselves in AI tools to distinguish themselves in the evolving economy. Having become the youngest self-made billionaire at 25 by founding Scale AI, Wang likened the current surge in AI to the personal computing revolution of the 1980s.
He noted, “When personal computers first emerged, those who engaged deeply with them gained a significant advantage in the future economy.” Wang urged youth to follow this trajectory by dedicating extensive time to learning and experimenting with AI models. “If you’re 13 right now, you should spend all your time vibe-coding. This is the Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg moment. Those who grow up with these tools will have a tremendous edge in the future economy,” he stressed. Wang recounted tech history, mentioning how Bill Gates would sneak into labs at night to practice programming, advocating for teenagers today to adopt a similar enthusiasm, but with AI assistants and coding models instead.
The term ‘Vibe-Coding’ encapsulates Wang’s advice, representing a hands-on, experimental approach to learning. Rather than relying exclusively on formal education, vibe-coding encourages young people to create, test, and deconstruct projects using AI coding tools. This method fosters learning through practice—prompting AI models, evaluating their outputs, refining code, and gradually grasping how these systems function. Wang asserted that this approach enhances both creativity and technical proficiency. “If you spend about 10,000 hours experimenting with the tools and mastering them, that’s a significant advantage… You need to learn how to utilize the tools effectively,” he remarked.
Wang’s viewpoint aligns with that of Andrew Ng, co-founder of Google Brain, who has previously claimed that this is “the best time yet to learn to code,” believing that as AI simplifies programming, those with a firm grasp of coding basics will be in the best position to succeed. Wang’s remarks come as Meta intensifies its AI investments amid internal restructuring, having recently laid off around 600 employees from its AI division to streamline operations and foster innovation. Importantly, these layoffs did not impact members of Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, a group closely linked to Wang’s leadership. Despite the workforce reductions, Meta continues to invest billions in its AI initiatives, aiming to spearhead the next wave of intelligent computing.
If Wang’s insights hold true, the future leaders of this movement may well be the children who embark on vibe-coding today.