Robert Kiyosaki, author of 'Rich Dad Poor Dad', claims traditional education advice is outdated
Robert Kiyosaki, author of 'Rich Dad Poor Dad', stated that the most outdated advice today is to "go to school, get good grades, and find a high-paying job." He cited a recent Wall Street Journal report about a Princeton PhD who submitted resumes to 230 companies and was rejected by all.
Kiyosaki noted that most companies rejected the PhD because they are cutting high-educated employees and replacing them with artificial intelligence. He asked his followers how many still hold onto the same outdated advice and thanked open-minded readers for allowing him to challenge conventional thinking.
He pointed out that he and his readers are experiencing a historic change, possibly the largest "reset" in world history. He explained that a "reset" means that methods that were effective in the past will no longer work in the future, just as cars replaced horses and Amazon impacted shopping malls; AI is now replacing doctors, lawyers, and accountants.
Kiyosaki has previously listed examples of large-scale layoffs expected in 2025, including about 48,000 at UPS, about 30,000 at Amazon, and about 20,000 at Intel, arguing that traditional education can no longer guarantee employment. He advocates for increasing financial intelligence and holding assets like gold, silver, and Bitcoin instead of relying on salary income.
The Wall Street Journal report referenced actually involved a Princeton chemical engineering PhD, Jack Weis, who has submitted over 2,300 applications since graduating in 2024 without securing stable employment, having briefly worked in AI training before his contract ended. The current U.S. white-collar job market is in a state of low hiring and low layoffs.
AI replacing high-educated positions is driving capital and talent away from traditional employment structures towards asset ownership and entrepreneurship, benefiting those who hold AI-related assets or run their own businesses, while those relying on a single high-paying job and educational premium are under pressure.
Source: Public information
ABAB AI Insight
Since publishing 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' in 1997, Robert Kiyosaki has consistently advocated for accumulating wealth through assets (real estate, businesses, precious metals) rather than salary, viewing traditional education as a "poor dad" mindset. He has repeatedly released layoff lists for 2025-2026, linking large layoffs at companies like UPS, Amazon, and Intel to AI, emphasizing that degrees cannot protect against technological replacement.
In terms of capital pathways, Kiyosaki guides audiences from salary dependency to asset ownership through books, courses, and media content, including real estate cash flow and Bitcoin. He describes AI as a tool: companies use it to cut labor costs, while individuals can leverage it to build subscription software or digital assets, turning technological replacement into ownership advantages.
This is similar to how artisans were replaced by factories during the Industrial Revolution, with some turning to machine ownership or new industries; it also resembles the reduction of clerical jobs and restructuring of analysis and management roles following the widespread adoption of spreadsheets. Currently, AI is in a phase of expanding from an auxiliary tool to directly replacing knowledge work, particularly impacting entry-level and mid-level white-collar jobs.
Essentially, this is a form of technological replacement: AI transforms repetitive cognitive tasks that originally relied on high-education professional skills (legal research, accounting, basic analysis, some software development) into scalable machine outputs, reducing companies' marginal demand for labor. Mechanically, companies choose to lay off or freeze hiring after productivity increases to enhance profit margins, while individuals who continue to exchange degrees for a single position expose themselves to replacement risks; shifting to asset ownership can convert replacement pressures into sources of income.
ABAB News · Cognitive Laws
- The era of exchanging degrees for positions is over; ownership is the new security.
- Companies use AI to reduce staff, individuals use AI to build assets.
- Paths that were effective in the past become liabilities after the reset.