The a16z Show · Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad argues that traditional college education actively discourages independent thought and questioning, instead focusing on conformity to prepare students for jobs. He believes the true value of young people lies in their willingness to challenge deeply held beliefs, a capacity he feels modern universities often suppress.
“And in today's college it actually the opposite, it kind of beats any outside thought out of them.”
“The real civilizational missing opportunity is what if the most valuable thing young people bring to society is their willingness to question whatever everyone else takes for granted.”
“Right? It tells you you're stupid. We figured everything out. You need to learn our way and we need to prepare you for the outside world so you can get a job and be a perfect citizen, get married, have kids, and get a house and a car and live happily ever after.”