AI company CEO claims that entry-level employees should not get paid and instead pay their employer for their job: 'There is NO legitimate reason to endure the fresh graduate'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Nov 2, 2026 8:00 AM EST

We are in the midst of a hiring crisis for entry-level jobs.

Between the continuing AI boom, stingy companies, and a flood of similarly qualified graduates, it seems like these days one of the hardest jobs to land is also the least prestigious. Everyone has to start somewhere, but they need to get on the first rung of the ladder before anything else. The modern day job search is not kind to anybody who finds themselves in this position.

The common advice given to those who are struggling is to stop blindly sending applications out and actually try to make some connections within the industry that they are trying to break into. The thing is, there is no telling what kind of exploitative weirdos you may meet when you come to them asking if they have any entry-level leads. A lack of experience often makes applicants more vulnerable to taking deals that don't really help their career or financial status in the long run.

From an employer perspective, it is true that employees at this level can often be seen as a nuisance. They have to invest in training and mentorship to get them to a decent level, and that often doesn't seem worth it if there is every chance that they will move on after two years anyway. Nonetheless, those just starting out in the working world still deserve opportunities, and ones that are fairly paid. They are just as much a part of the workforce as anybody else.

*_{A young employee works on her laptop while holding a tablet and talking on her phone hands-free. Not actual story subjects.}*

The founder of an AI company sought to cause controversy when she shared her opinions on the future of entry-level work. She claimed that employees in this position should not be paid, and instead should be paying the companies they worked for to gain the skills and experience that they desired from the role. She claimed that people at this level were usually not useful to the company, so it made sense to charge them for the privilege of being employed instead of the other way around.

Dystopian CEO take: You should pay the employer for your time in entry-level jobs

Jenny K. 3rd+ Cooper Al Co-Founder & CEO 4d • + Follow Controversial take: entry-level jobs in the near future will be where the young employee is paying the employer to gain critical first years-on-the-job experience as opposed to them being paid wages (or even as a free intern). This will be like a college education where prestigious learning opportunities will be pay-to-play. This might even become an extended curriculum to the regular college experience. The undeniable facts are these (and I

Unpaid internships are already a well-established phenomenon that students and recent gradutes do in the hope of gaining some experience, but this takes things a step further. A lot of people already resent the idea of working for free, so we can only imagine what they might think about paying for the privilege of a foot in the door. But who knows? Awful as it is, maybe they will actually find a way to normalize this.

C-suite just want to replace people with AI.

rachel@keyofB_Platt I love it that the Al concept went, in one year, from "hey look at this video I made" to "what WILL we do with all these human beings?"

It was a position that was out of touch.

Cardano Crab @CardanoCrab The disconnect some of these people have is ridiculous. "You should pay me for the opportunity to experience the awesome greatness of working near the other employees that I also scam for their labor."

It seemed she still wanted some employees.

Noble Peas Price ☑ @pes_i_mistik Same Jenny, ladies and gentlemen Jenny K. 2nd + Follow Cooper Al Co-Founder & CEO 4mo⚫ We're hiring!! If you know anyone special who fits the bill, please let us know. C Senior Back-end Engineer Cooper United States (Remote) View job

The reason for her demand was obvious.

EDEN @EDEN67382400 These idiots just want free work except they sell it as "gaining experience" while they exploit entry level workers.

She wasn't interested in helping the youth.

Ninaaa @alwaysonsims It's also kinda nihilistic. She says we should no longer equip the next generation with the tools we had to succeed. They have to prove they are better than ai, otherwise what's the point of higher education and careers when ai will take over everything. Sneaky bast_d.

Perhaps she needs a little less self-belief.

crunchyrugger @crunchyrugger however out of touch you THOUGHT these founder types were, you were definitely underestimating it. in a world where no one can afford anything, she is suggesting people will pay to work.

People are over the nerds.

Doesn'tOwnTheCarsInT... @Sn95Pilot Its the only way dreamstime IIIIII

A fork found in kitchen kind of situation.

Song I Sung of the Mun, ... @ThBoneOfMySword Of course it's the ceo of an ai company

She was going to make some enemies.

OUTICE Easter Jane Black Jose Chun @faintghostglow lady, I think you'll find yourself with a pitchfork in your back before long

This didn't bode well for the job market.

John C @admiraldevs88 These greedy ghouls will do anything to not pay people. Total Economy collapse is coming and coming soon.

She was speaking on an established precedent.

dfm @DFEmme42 Many credentialed professions are already like this. You may actually have to pay for the supervision hours it takes to get licensed in your field. Or you are working but the fee for that supervision (often thousands a month) gets deducted from your already low paycheck.

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