Sierra cofounder says some of his best employees are AI-savvy 22-year-olds

Sierra cofounder Clay Bavor said AI-natives have a "comfort and facility" with AI tools that more experienced workers don't.

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AI-native graduates can have a key edge in the workplace, one startup founder says. Clay Bavor, who cofounded Sierra in 2023, said some of the company's most effective employees are in their early 20s because they're more comfortable using AI than many experienced workers."I can't remember a time when a young person with no work experience, but with the right mindset and experience using some of these tools, has ever been so valued," Bavor said during a recent interview on the "20VC" podcast.The former Google exec said he has seen firsthand how AI is narrowing the gap between junior and senior employees."Some of our most effective employees at the entire company are 22 or 23 years old and have been completely AI-pilled and have a comfort and facility with these tools that many of our more experienced folks don't," he said.Bavor's comments come as AI is reshaping the work recent graduates do, with some employers looking for candidates who can use AI effectively without sacrificing judgment, while also raising the bar for entry-level employees and changing what companies look for in early-career talent.At Sierra, the shift to AI has prompted the company to overhaul its engineering interview process to be more AI-focused, Bavor said.