Reddit CEO Steve Huffman on why he wants to hire more recent college graduates: ‘They’re really good at…’

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says the company plans to increase hiring of recent college graduates. The chief executive of the social media platform’s comments come as parts of the tech industry are scaling back entry-level recruitment amid the rise of AI tools.

Speaking on the Sourcery with Molly O’Shea podcast, Huffman pointed to a key reason for hiring Gen Z college graduates: younger professionals are already trained to work with AI.“The kids coming out of college right now learned how to program with AI. They’re really good at it, and so I think we will go heavy on new grads, because they’re so much more AI native,” Huffman said. The comments come at a time when many graduates are entering a job market affected by automation and AI-driven tools, sparking concerns about the availability of job opportunities.

However, it has been noted that Reddit recognises the importance of hiring young, talented individuals, especially those who can work effectively with AI.“It’s the old people like me, it’s like I didn’t want to give [coding] up. I finally did. The younger people don’t have that baggage. They just write with AI,” he added.However, a spokesperson for Reddit told Fortune that they still focus on attracting young professionals through their emerging talent programmes in machine learning, data science, and computer science, including internships and graduate schemes.

Huffman also pointed out that recent graduates have learned in an era when ChatGPT and similar tools have become increasingly common. This gives them an edge in a world dominated by AI. They would be able to easily adjust their processes and automate their tasks.Despite concerns that AI adoption could reduce hiring needs, Huffman said the company does not plan to cut engineering roles as a result of increased AI usage.

Reddit CEO warns companies about ‘costly mistake’ they will make by not hiring Gen Z workers

Huffman also warned that delaying entry-level hiring could have long-term consequences for companies. He said businesses that do not recruit graduates early may struggle to access that talent later.“There are so many reasons to hire new grads. If you don’t hire them as new grads, you will never see them. They will never be on the job market again. They’re too valuable to ever let them be on the job market,” he explained. He added that companies could end up paying significantly more to hire experienced professionals later if they miss the opportunity to bring them in at the start of their careers.What other CEOs have said about hiring Gen Z workers