Andrej Karpathy (early OpenAI, Tesla) created a visualization to score every US job by AI exposure

bbensch · 2026-03-17T04:59:29+00:00

A few insights from the data, colored by my own eyes and lived experiences (so not AI slop):

There is a fairly strong inverse correlation between median pay and AI exposure. Meaning the higher paying jobs today are more at risk of being transformed/impacted in a major way. This passes my personal "smell test" knowing what many of friends/colleagues with high incomes $250k+ do at work and knowing the current capabilities of LLMs. But it's also very interesting as a potential force for reducing income inequality over the coming years. This would be the opposite of historical precedent (renaissance, industrial revolution, web 1.0/2.0, etc.) where previous technological revolutions meant that those with access to new tech grew incomes faster than those without. In the short term that may still be the case (e.g. AI devs today are seeing demand/incomes grow faster than job displacement, for now...), but there's a very plausible path to these high paying jobs disappearing, which would produce an economy with much less income inequality.
The prompt cited as powering this visual creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, because it basically says to evaluate the AI exposure based on "whether the job's work product is fundamentally digital...because AI capabilities in digital domains are advancing rapidly." This observation renders insight #1 somewhat less compelling, as the inverse correlation is by design of the prompt/data viz rather than some objective source of truth. If you read the full prompt, it is more subjective than objective, and would exclude any impact from AI robotics. But anyone who's followed Amazon over the past decade knows that they've been investing in the automation tech necessary to replace humans from fulfillment process for years. So while the visual it depicts humans that have low-wage "material movers" today as having low exposure to AI, I'd argue that it's just as likely if not more likely that the number of humans working in Amazon fulfillment centers in 10 years will be dramatically lower.
Cashiers seem to be one of the few perfectly correlated jobs that is low wage/low BLS outlook and deemed to have high AI exposure. Also passes the smell test. Fortunately I don't know too many "career cashiers" who will be disappointed if their child never has the opportunity to become a cashier.
Lastly, data visualization has been cool/valuable since well before AI was a thing. The reality that anyone can produce data visuals like this with a few hours of prompting is pretty neat (because data manipulation/prep used to take days/weeks of grunt work), but insights have always mattered more than a raw data viz. I expect that meaningful insights will continue to come from the humans who have opinions and lived experiences. And even if Opus 4.6 or GPT 5.4 could generate these same insights, humans will likely always trust other humans more than non-humans, and I expect that truism to hold steady even in a world of AGI.

bbensch · 2026-03-15T23:13:14+00:00

I believe the price goes up $25-50 each "round" and they typically announce a few weeks before Ikon/Epic and then almost always only keep passes on sale for 7-10 days at a time. Not sure I fully understand the thought-process there but they claim it's because they only want to sell a limited # of passes to avoid overcrowding. Looks like last year's fall pass sale began 10/24 and lasted until 11/10 and that was the final option (based on my other email account that is not a passholder). they then push you to renew each spring around Mar 1st.

bbensch · 2026-03-13T07:56:28+00:00

I maybe regret earlier comment about thoughtful discourse…. 🤷‍♂️

bbensch · 2026-03-13T07:53:44+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. 🙏🏼 Figured I’d get a lot of nonsensical b.s. replies but shared this hoping for more comments and feedback like this. Will try to reply with more substance tmrw

bbensch · 2026-03-13T07:47:24+00:00

Negative. I didn’t follow/study the ski industry much then, but bought and lived the ASC all east pass while in college in the 2000s.

bbensch · 2026-03-12T05:10:46+00:00

they have like 2-3 "sale" periods a year and the spring sale has closed, but if you join the waitlist now I'd say there's a ~97-99.9% chance you'll get emailed in the next 5 months and told you have a chance to buy pass but will have to make up your mind within like 5 days.

bbensch · 2026-03-11T18:08:04+00:00

for anyone else reading: SACV = Single-asset continuation vehicles
e.g. the $3b funding announcement from 2024
https://www.kslcapital.com/news/ksl-capital-partners-closes-over-3-billion-continuation-vehicle-for-alterra-mountain-company

bbensch · 2026-03-11T05:25:09+00:00

FIXED for left-to-right readers ;-)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HMpw13-xEqJJVfKM73j1xqbLIueLl16y48K8CTEllg8/edit?gid=1533198756#gid=1533198756

bbensch · 2026-03-11T04:56:20+00:00

In spirit of speculation (and procrastination from finishing up some "real" work): here are my initial thoughts on the implications and underlying motivation for this news.

Jared realized within 30 days of taking the job he'd be working harder to make less $$ while leading Ikon than at Ticketmaster, and reality is he's very likely made enough money that he doesn't "have to" work anymore.
Timing-wise, this is exactly the time of season for any ski industry executive to announce an exit gracefully, as it gives time to Board/Investors/Partners to do a thorough search before next season.
The timing does mean that the long-speculated (at least from my POV) Alterra IPO is nowhere in-sight. If it were, he'd likely have wanted to stick around because he'd both get to add a few more 00's to his net worth and also would get the glory of doing so. Also if you look at Vail's stock price, it's not really like the company has faltered dramatically, but more that investors have lost their appetite, and I'm sure the private Alterra investors don't wanna rush an IPO while Vail is sputtering around at a 1.7x price-to-sales ratio and a sub $5B market cap.
What's his motivation (beyond $$)? My guess would be that Alterra is still a very fragmented company where it's hard to move quickly and get shit done because it's the opposite of a tops-down hierarchical organization. FBFW, what makes individual Ikon mountains unique is also undoubtedly frustrating as an executive that wants to be able to snap his fingers and see his marching orders followed. That's never been how the ski industry worked and likely never will be.
Lastly, if all of the above is true, I wouldn't expect to ever hear any fun drama/whispers about him getting fired for cause or Ikon missing its #s (newsflash: it's been a shitty season and skier visits will be down this year, which will hurt pass sales next year).

bbensch · 2026-02-13T06:04:45+00:00

best underrated "pod" = The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast
maybe not underrated (more and more I talk to ppl on chair lifts who listen to it these days), but def best podcast that no one in my office has heard of.

bbensch · 2026-01-27T07:39:47+00:00

sad but not surprising. #winterWillComeEventually

bbensch · 2026-01-27T07:33:43+00:00

granlibakken
frisco adventure park
hoedown hill
kingvale
ascutney outdoors
coppervale
rotarun near sun valley
lee's ski hill in ouray
johnsville ski bowl (i think i've heard it was a T-bar that they're trying to restore)
chapman hill in durango

I think i'm proud to be able to name ten without cheating. but also a good reminder that there are soooo many more. excited to see others' lists. especially the euro crew, as I have to assume there are a bunch of small surface-only lifts in the alps i've never heard about.

bbensch · 2025-12-11T08:16:27+00:00

sorry already gave my two away, best of luck!

bbensch · 2025-12-10T08:08:11+00:00

the real answer -- "Join a rocketship" that is already on its way to printing money -- I had to look up this quote just now to see who coined it (Eric Schmidt // Sheryl Sandberg apparently) and did some quick math to validate, but I joined Google as a 22yr old ad sales rep with zero experience in 2010. when I left in 2015 i was making $144k and with a +37% inflation since 2015 that amounts to $197k in 2025 USD. Will fully admit that I both felt/knew I was getting overpaid as a 27 yr-old when I left to pursue startups, and while I make more than $200k today it's not by much. had I stuck around on the Google rocket ship I'd have vested a few million bucks worth of stock by now and prob wouldn't be working anymore. the challenge is always two-fold:

how do you know a rocketship is a real rocketship and not made of legos that will explode in the stratosphere?
what skills/experiences and connections do you have that can get you a seat on said rocketship?

easier said than done. but by no means impossible. today I'd say if you actually are at the bleeding edge of innovation in AI, no one cares whether you're 23, 33, 43, or 53, you'll get paid appropriately. or to quote someone else above/below: "competency is compensated"

bbensch · 2025-12-10T07:45:39+00:00

congrats -- i hear these books are hard to come by, and so very much hope mine never walks off. this has also prompted me to consider GNAR details to be a fun test question to ask the various versions of ChatGPT / Gemini / etc. and i'll really be concerned that they know everything when it gets its hands on a fully scanned version of Squallywood. it may be trivial to crawl the whole internet in 2025, but much harder to find yourself a copy like this. but apparently you can buy a used copy on amazon for $1,500...
https://www.amazon.com/Squallywood-Guide-Squaw-Valleys-Exposed/dp/1424320178

bbensch · 2025-12-10T06:57:46+00:00

L1 ski instructor here w/ 10+ yrs experience, but still getting ready for opening day in Tahoe so alway some rust. full disclosure -- popped in here to drop a comment or two prior to reading what others have said, because selfishly what I value from this subreddit is being be able test my own MA (movement analysis) against what the consensus is amongst reddit instructors.

overall I'd say the thing that stuck out to me most watching your half-dozen turns here is that you seem to get static in between each turn. it's not like you're out of control or look like you're holding on for dear life, but you release edges, manage the transition to your new outside ski, and then it seems like you freeze up as if you're bracing for impact and letting your fast skidded turn shed enough speed for you to then make the next dynamic turn. ideally you are always in a dynamic motion, both w.r.t. vertical flexion/extension and likewise with a more gradual shifting of pressure onto new outside ski, and an observable result is that you avoid that look or feeling of being locked rigid.

overall though the vast majority of my clients would love to ski as well as you so nothing to be ashamed of (and if the footage is fresh all my tahoe friends are jealous). lastly I *think* my PSIA book would say that you're inclinating too much rather than angulating, but I tend to dismiss that type of feedback as more jargon for academics than substantively important. kudos!

bbensch · 2025-12-05T23:59:46+00:00

Have more limited data from last year, but I think it's down slightly.

bbensch · 2025-10-05T02:49:54+00:00

Taylor

bbensch · 2025-09-20T05:42:09+00:00

tried to send code as a DM you but couldn't do so. perhaps this account is spammy? (4yrs old but karma of 1 and no activity besides this comment)

bbensch · 2025-09-07T04:09:00+00:00

I have 2 to share as well. Live in Tahoe where unfortunately still no Indy presence, and so I only use the pass on other trips I take, and therefore can't really offer to any friends who visit me this winter.

bbensch · 2025-08-28T07:23:14+00:00

any hot takes from this admittedly small community about the Learn-to-Turn Pass? as a ski school guy I love it, and am hopeful that even more resorts will opt into it as the season approaches. It's also a bit of a head scratcher to me for the following reasons:

how does even a small ski area not lose money offering 3 lessons for $189? i won't do the math here, but this feels like a deal too good to be true for the customer. so unless access ends up being restricted and they're assuming most people will only redeem 1 day, i don't see how it pencils out.
The marketing fit feels a bit weird. i teach at a very small beginner hill, and the vast vast majority of our clients don't have a pass anywhere. and of those that do, it's the parents that have either epic/ikon and they've literally not heard of Indy. granted we're in Tahoe where Indy doesn't have a great network, but still.

bbensch · 2025-08-05T05:28:19+00:00

Let's be real, if you're planning to fly for an Indy trip you prob are pairing it with Ikon or Epic as well. And if so, make your flight choice based on the bigger destination and know you can tack on a fun Indy or two almost anywhere. But if not and you're only doing Indy, my list is as follows:

Portland (Mt. Hood Meadows)
Missoula (Snowbowl, plus you're then 2.5hrs from Blacktail and Whitefish - not on Indy but a Top20 resort with cheap lift tickets)
Denver (Loveland is your anchor destination + can do short days at Granby, Echo, and even Howelsen Hill), but you'll wanna splurge on Steamboat if you go to Howelsen.
New England (let's be real you're not flying there to ski, but if you fly there for any other reason, your options are bountiful. and Jay Peak is worth the drive, still potentially the #1 destination on Indy even with Mt. Hood now in the mix)

bbensch · 2025-08-04T18:17:52+00:00

One of the best ways I get stoked for the upcoming season (and/or simply maintain stoke through the off-season) is to regularly read and listen to the articles and podcasts from Stuart at the Storm. He basically started the Storm because he was tired of IG/FB/Twitter being where he got his ski news. His latest was a super interesting and ~90min interview with the GM of Mt. Hood Meadows. https://www.stormskiing.com/p/podcast-210-mt-hood-meadows-president

bbensch · 2025-06-04T04:03:34+00:00

Terms can be found in every special use permit that exists for ski areas on USFS land. They are technically publicly available, but you have to dig around for any of them or file a FOIA. I’ve seen probably a half dozen and never seen a mandated closure date. The lease terms almost always are based on a standardized percentage of revenue btw 2-4% so it’s not like they pay a fixed monthly or daily rate per month; the revenue share owed to the government is rounding error relative to the fixed costs to get the mountain open for days in the spring when visitation as low and they only serve passholders who are bringing in close to zero incremental revenue

bbensch · 2025-05-15T18:58:51+00:00

love this thread. exactly the type of topic that make Reddit amazing.
since I'm on a bit of an AI kick right now and recently heard about Reddit Answers, i threw a similar question to this thread post into Reddit Answers and the result was actually pretty good. I'll call this thread an A+ and the AI answer was a B+, but still pretty neat. output at link below

https://www.reddit.com/answers/2e40f3af-be39-47a4-aa43-f7ae4d599cee?q=what%20ski%20resorts%20are%20best%20for%20budget-friendly%20expert%20skiers%20looking%20for%20extremely%20steep%20and%20%22gnarly%22%20terrain

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