Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, is confident that artificial intelligence (AI) will not take away your job. So much so, that Strauss insisted that when the day comes of AI replacing all humans, the first one to lose their job would be the world’s richest person, Elon Musk.
Zelnick was questioned over the impact of AI in the workplace during Semafor World Economy 2026. He said, “If AI were to take anyone’s job, wouldn’t it take his [Elon Musk’s] job? Like the richest guy on earth, wouldn’t that be job number one for AI to take?”
Elon Musk is one of the most vocal advocates for AI. Though he has a different view, that AI actually does replace everyone. Musk has often claimed that AI will replace all humans in the workforce, making us free from the need to work. Instead, Musk says that humans could do things they enjoy, such as growing vegetables.
Take-Two, which is the publisher of the popular gaming franchise Grand Theft Auto (GTA) reportedly shut down its AI team a few weeks ago.
Is Elon Musk a simulation?
Interestingly, Strauss Zelnick seemed to be fascinated by the work Musk does. The tech billionaire runs multiple companies including Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI (now merged with SpaceX).
Strauss was apparently so interested in understanding how Elon Musk manages his workload, that he joked that Elon may actually be a simulation. The Take-Two CEO added, “Why is he so busy?… Maybe Elon Musk is indeed a simulation, it’s possible. I mean, in fairness, if you were gonna choose a person who were a simulation, he would be my number one choice.”
Musk is one of the few people who often speculate if we are living in a simulation, perhaps one created by vastly more advanced beings. Though it may be a first when the tech billionaire has been called a simulation.
Take-Two chief says AI will create more jobs
At a time when we have sweeping layoffs across industries as companies shift towards AI, Strauss Zelnick believes that AI could be an opportunity for more employment. He explained, “For those of you who think you’re going to be unemployed by AI, two things. The history of technology is that technology creates productivity. Productivity creates GDP. GDP creates more employment.”
Zelnick took the example of Goldman Sachs. He claimed that the company was now far different than what it used to be around 90 years ago. Strauss added, “90 years ago, Goldman Sachs would be a room this size with a bunch of tables with a bunch of men… with um pieces of paper and pencils doing calculations.”
The Take-Two chief added, “Today, apparently, no one at Goldman does that anymore. Vastly more people are employed at Goldman Sachs despite the fact that they’re all using Excel and in two minutes they’ll all be using AI if they aren’t already.”
While Strauss Zelnick has an optimistic approach towards an AI-driven future, the situation right now may be a bit more grim. Oracle recently laid off 30,000 workers globally as it invests more in AI. Amazon, Microsoft, TCS, and even Snapchat’s parent company Snap, have all reduced their workforce. Meta is also rumoured to be firing up to 15,000 workers soon.