The Skills AI Can’t Replace

Silicon Valley is actually full of hills. I’ve spent most of my life pedaling up them: relentless effort, grinding gears, and powering through resistance—endless Slack chats, emails, and meetings, just to prove you’ve got the hustle. The climb felt natural, even necessary, because that’s what gets rewarded and celebrated. You pedal harder, you sweat more, and you believe progress only comes from pushing against the incline. Everyone is doing it, so it must be true.

Then, in Italy, I discovered what it meant to go downhill. At first, I treated it the same way I treated uphill riding—by powering through. But downhill cycling doesn’t work like that. It’s not about brute force; it’s about letting momentum work for you. It requires entirely different skills: observation, judgment, and balance. You scan the road ahead, anticipate the curves, and adjust your body and speed with precision and elegance. Tiny adjustments preserve momentum, decisions come quickly, risks feel exhilarating, and time flies.

Downhill doesn’t mean working less; it means working with the road. It’s not easier, but it’s different. I’ve learned to inject myself into situations quickly, provide helpfulness when it’s needed, and step away when it’s not—saving time and energy for everyone involved. I get things done faster than ever before, but with less grind.

Uphill taught me endurance and determination. Downhill taught me judgment, observation, and the power of momentum. Life, like a winding mountain path, has its climbs and descents. And going up and down isn’t just about destinations; it’s about approaches. For most of my life, I’ve been grinding uphill.

But here’s the thing: AI will soon take over the uphill. It will automate the tasks we once celebrated—the relentless climbing, the repetitive grinding. Those are the skills machines are built for, and they will be far better at it than we ever were. I’m glad I’ve clarified the skills of downhill—the observation, judgment, and taste—because those are the ones AI won’t replace. Those are the human skills that will shape how we navigate the terrain ahead.

When was the last time you truly paid attention to the terrain of your own life? What are the skills you’ve developed from your own descents—the ones AI can’t replicate? How are they different from the relentless grind that machines are already built to take over?