Young People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It’s Almost Hard to Believe
They're even more unpopular than data centers. The post Young People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It’s Almost Hard to Believe appeared first on Futurism .
A decade ago, young adults were captivated by the tech giants Google and Apple, eager for thrilling careers at the tech industry's forefront. However, in 2026, the trend of young people's uncritical adoration for tech and its billionaire leaders has dramatically shifted. CNBC's Generation Labs recently surveyed over 1,000 US adults aged 18 to 34 about their opinions on politics, AI, and the nation's economy.
The most striking branch of questions focused on the trustworthiness of nine AI company executives, with the results revealing widespread disapproval.
When asked, "Who do you trust to act responsibly on AI?" the majority of participants declared they "don't trust" any of these nine figures. Palantir's controversial CEO, Alex Karp, received the lowest "trust" score, with 81 percent selecting "don't trust." Microsoft's Satya Nadella garnered the best "trust" score, but it was still a meager 35 percent.
The remaining executives performed even worse: 79 percent disapproved of Peter Thiel, while a staggering 71, 70, and 69 percent disapproved of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman, respectively (Musk may be disappointed that his "trust" rating didn't reach the 69 mark).
These abysmal approval ratings highlight the significant decline in the tech industry's popularity over the past decade, fueled by worries about data privacy, the deliberate decay of once-reputable platforms, and the erosion of democracy. If these tech leaders were merged into one symbolic figure, AI would likely emerge as the embodiment, a technology increasingly detested by Americans across all age groups.
Ironically, even AI and the data centers that support it scored higher in the eyes of US youth, according to the poll. When asked about AI's potential impact on their lives, 45 percent of respondents predicted a negative effect on their careers, with another 40 percent advocating for government regulation of AI.
Data centers, however, received even poorer reviews. A significant 60 percent believed the tech industry's relentless construction drive should be slowed down. Despite the varying questions making direct comparisons challenging, it remains noteworthy that even data centers are less unpopular than the tech billionaires who back them.
Written by urgent.news from Futurism's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
