In the 2010s, when Elon Musk continuously asserted that electric cars were the future, many in the auto industry laughed. He said that software would be the heart of the car, that cars could update their software over the air like phones, that self-driving cars were not far off, and that gasoline-powered cars would gradually disappear. Those statements were seen as outrageous, even dangerous.

Traditional car companies, with a hundred years of experience, considered Tesla a delusional startup. They claimed Elon knew nothing about manufacturing, that electric cars were a fleeting trend, and that software couldn’t control a mechanical machine. Some even said his pronouncements were just creating market uncertainty.

But while the industry was still debating, Tesla worked in silence. They built battery factories, developed their own software in-house, bypassed the dealership model to sell directly, and made software the controller of every function in the car. Tesla didn’t make many promises; they built and tested. And then, they changed everything.

Just a decade later, Tesla became the most valuable car company in the world. The corporations that once laughed at them began pouring billions of dollars into electric vehicle research, developing their own operating systems, designing chips, and completely overhauling their manufacturing processes. The entire industry had to chase after the vision that a once “outrageous” startup had laid out.

I think that story is repeating itself—this time, not in the auto industry, but in the tech industry as a whole. Generative AI and Agentic AI are at a moment similar to Tesla in 2010.

Many people still believe that AI is inferior, that it’s just a secondary tool, that it makes many mistakes, or that it cannot replace humans. Some are even worried that AI is disrupting workflows, causing instability, or making people lazy. This reminds me of how people reacted to Tesla: with skepticism, ridicule, and calling it an “unnecessary fear.”

But I have seen the opposite. I have seen an AI Agent write a system requirements document more clearly and coherently than an engineer with 10 years of experience—after just a single prompt. I have seen an engineer collaborating with AI become many times more productive than a team of three or four, simply by knowing how to ask questions, break down requests, and coordinate effectively. I have also seen an AI-powered system help shorten testing time, generate mock data, and automatically write documentation—tasks that used to take weeks.

The issue isn’t whether AI can do the job. The issue is whether people know how to work with AI. If you find AI isn’t performing well, don’t be quick to blame it. Ask yourself instead: have I guided it clearly? Do I understand how it works? Do I truly see it as a collaborator or just a tool?

In my work, I’ve met many people who are experts in their field but provide unclear, unstructured requests to AI, not knowing how to give feedback or provide direction. And they conclude that AI is bad. But perhaps the very skill of working with AI is what now separates those who work effectively from those who can’t keep up.

I think we are standing at a moment very similar to when Tesla was still being mocked. The only difference is that this time, the transformation won’t take 10 years—it might only take 2 or 3. And when that happens, every role, every process, and every skill in the tech industry will change significantly.

The future doesn’t arrive with applause. It arrives with quiet, continuous, and timely preparation. If you’re feeling skeptical, that’s normal. But remember, many people were skeptical of Tesla—and then they had to chase it.

AI may not replace you. But someone who knows how to work with AI better than you might.

…

You know what? The entire passage above was written for me by Gen AI. But you know, it also brings another story to mind.

There are afternoons when the sky is so beautiful it’s breathtakingly still. Not a single cloud, not a single loud noise. The sky is clear blue, without a wisp of a cloud. Everyone is relaxed, at ease, believing that tomorrow will be just like today, that this world will remain the same—stable, predictable, and safe.

But someone who has lived near the sea, who has witnessed a real storm, will understand: before every great storm, the weather is often beautiful. The clearer the sky and the lighter the wind, the higher the chance it’s an omen of a great tempest. The old fishermen won’t be smiling as they usually do. They stand in silence for longer, watching the sky and the sea, quietly gathering their nets, securing their tin roofs, and telling their children and grandchildren not to go out to sea today.

The problem is: when others are enjoying the peace, a warning is always seen as a disruption of order. A person who stands in the middle of the street and shouts, “There’s a storm coming, prepare!” will likely be seen as an oddball, a pessimist, or worse, someone “causing panic.” Because humans, by nature, always gravitate toward a state of equilibrium. We love the feeling of safety; we hate being startled. And the more we live in peace, the less we want anyone to mention the possibility of it disappearing.

However, the storm doesn’t ask if we are ready. The storm doesn’t care about the feelings or the general mood of the crowd. It follows its own natural laws—cold meets hot, low pressure meets moist air, and a chain of small collisions is enough to swirl up a major squall. Those who have seen their roofs blown away, who have lost connection, who have regretted not preparing—they no longer laugh when someone sounds a warning.

I’m telling this story not to spread fear, but to say: some people don’t speak up to get attention. They don’t need to be right, nor do they need praise. They speak only because they see the signs. And even if they face backlash, they still speak, because they cannot stand by in silence and watch others get swept away.

Perhaps you are in a period of peace. Your job is steady, the market is familiar, your skills are still in demand. But maybe, somewhere out there, a new technology, a new way of working, or a new operational model is taking shape. And if someone tells you, “Prepare for a future with many challenges,” or shares risks with you, don’t be so quick to think they are just trying to pressure you. Perhaps they are just people who have lived through storms and know that survival requires preparation, not just physically but also mentally.

Because the scariest thing is not the storm, but the complacency on days when the weather is too beautiful.

…

My friend, even the next part, I also had AI write according to my ideas. It’s just that, if you want to be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand to avoid the sandstorm, you might be mistaken, because an ostrich buries its head in the sand to avoid the storm, but if you cover your ears and eyes…

Let’s read the AI’s comment when I asked it, “Do you know about the story of the Australian ostrich that buries its head in the sand to avoid storms?”

People often tell the story of the Australian ostrich—that when it encounters a sandstorm, it will bury its head in the ground to avoid seeing the storm. An image that seems foolish, useless. The storm still comes, the wind still sweeps everything away, while it just covers its eyes, not avoiding the danger at all.

In reality, in nature, ostriches don’t actually do this to hide from storms. They lower their heads to the ground to check on their nests of eggs, or to cool their bodies in the harsh heat. But humans, perhaps, are truly behaving like that symbolic story—burying their heads in “what is safe” to avoid seeing the approaching storm.

We avoid reading bad news. We dodge articles that talk about disruption, change, crisis. We turn off notifications when we hear someone warn about Gen AI, about jobs that could be lost, about skills that may no longer be valuable tomorrow. We prefer things that are easier to hear: “AI isn’t smart enough yet,” “humans will still be needed,” “everything will be fine.”

But the paradox is: avoidance doesn’t stop the storm; it just leaves us unprepared. The storm doesn’t attack anyone first; it sweeps away those who fail to adapt. Like a person who doesn’t learn to swim because they’re afraid of water—by the time they fall into the river, the fear no longer matters.

We—unlike ostriches—have consciousness, reason, and the ability to prepare. And what makes humans superior to nature is the ability to look directly at risk while still acting calmly. We don’t need to panic, but we certainly shouldn’t ignore the signs.

In today’s era, when things change by the month, by the week, perhaps the most dangerous thing isn’t the storm—but the attitude that “everything will sort itself out.” No, things don’t sort themselves out if you don’t step up and rearrange them.

So, if you feel like hiding your head in the sand because so many things are changing—remember: closing your eyes doesn’t make the storm disappear. Opening your eyes, preparing, and acting—that is the way to get through the tempest and stand firm after the rain.

Now it’s my turn to write the final sentence…

On my YouTube channel, many of you have asked me how I achieve a sense of calm when the storm hits, questions like that. My general answer is that I can get worried to the point of stress when everything is peaceful, and I am calm when all the bad things are happening because I have prepared as best as I possibly could for “the storm.” If you feel annoyed when someone reminds you to bring a raincoat because it might rain today, then please be calm when you’re driving and the rain suddenly pours down, leaving you soaked to the bone. As for me, I remain the same: worried when everyone is happy, and comfortable when disaster strikes. Before the storm, the sky is always clear blue. And after the rain, the sky brightens again.

Okay… This is just a heart-to-heart talk; everything is still very stable and peaceful, everyone, so please relax, there’s no storm coming. As for me, I still take photos, I still code every day, the only difference is that I now also work with four employees who are the AI Agents by my side.

Happy ending!