2025 Forbes Iconoclast: ICONIQ’s Michael Anders – AI Could Lead To Massive Layoffs

At the 2025 Forbes Iconoclast Summit, during the panel "Beyond the Buzz: Where Is AI Delivering ROI?", Michael Anders, Founding Partner at ICONIQ Capital, shared insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. His perspectives highlight that AI is moving quickly from a theoretical concept to a tangible reality, with significant implications for investment strategies, workplace productivity, and the broader societal fabric. Anders's views, alongside those of other industry leaders, emphasize both the immense opportunities and the significant challenges that lie ahead, urging a shift from speculative excitement to strategic foresight.

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2025 Forbes Iconoclast Summit - ICONIQ Capital's Michael Anders

AI and Investment: The New Frontier of Value Creation and Diligence

For investors like Michael Anders, the focus has increasingly shifted towards AI. While ICONIQ Capital traditionally focused on enterprise software, they are now allocating more capital into AI. A striking trend is that many of their 150-plus portfolio companies, which originally did not start off as AI businesses, are now actively transitioning to become AI companies, with founders deeply involved in this shift. Beyond this evolution of existing portfolios, ICONIQ is also directly investing in native AI businesses such as Sierra, 11 Labs, and Ryder, with this list growing rapidly.