In a world increasingly shaped by automation, speed, and artificial intelligence, a quieter debate is emerging about what truly keeps people relevant at work. It is no longer just about technical expertise or years of experience. A recent reflection shared online by former Oracle executive and Tamil Nadu-based founder Pradeep Kannan adds a human layer to this conversation, focusing on attitude, curiosity, and the willingness to learn when things are unclear.
An ex-Oracle boss, Pradeep Kannan, Tamil Nadu-based founder, took to X and shared a perspective on how people are responding to the rise of artificial intelligence and changing job landscapes.
He began by acknowledging a growing fear in workplaces: people are losing jobs because of AI. But he quickly shifted the focus away from technology itself and toward individual mindset. According to him, adaptability and the willingness to learn are becoming the real safety net in a rapidly shifting world.
He explained that organisations can always train employees on new skills, tools, and systems. That part, he suggested, is manageable and structured. However, what cannot be easily taught is something far less tangible: a sense of hunger, or the internal drive to step up even when you do not have all the answers.
To illustrate this, he shared a moment from his own experience while working on profit and loss (P&L) at one of his outlets. During a busy phase when the manager was away for a launch in Vizag, he interacted with a team member who typically handled customer-facing responsibilities. He asked her directly if she knew how to work with P&L statements.
Her response was simple and honest. She admitted she did not know, but immediately followed it with a ‘hunger’ to learn. That hunger, rather than prior knowledge, stood out in that moment. He noted that she had no formal understanding of the concept at that point, but chose not to stop there. Instead of hesitation or avoidance, she stepped into the learning process. He then spent time with her, explaining the basics, including how numbers are placed into spreadsheets and how to interpret what actually matters in those figures.
While he was teaching her the technical side, he reflected on what she was unknowingly teaching him. In his view, skills can always be transferred through training, explanation, and practice. But the attitude of stepping forward without certainty, of saying yes despite not knowing, is far harder to instil.
He emphasised that in an environment where AI can increasingly learn and execute tasks at high speed, the human edge is shifting. It is no longer defined solely by what someone already knows. Instead, it is shaped by how quickly a person responds when placed in unfamiliar situations and how willing they are to take responsibility in the face of uncertainty.