70% young Americans distrust AI’s biggest names as fears over jobs and the future grow: Report

Alex Karp came last. As many as 81% said they did not trust the Palantir CEO to act responsibly on AI. Peter Thiel, chairman of the Florida-based firm, followed at 79%.

Dario Amodei and Sundar Pichai also struggled to win the confidence of younger Americans, with about 76% and 74%, respectively, saying they distrusted them.

The numbers were not much better for some of the biggest names in technology. Around 70% said they distrusted Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and Elon Musk.

The most trusted name was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. But even he failed to cross the halfway mark. About 35% said they trusted Nadella, while 65% said they did not.

This distrust comes at a time when these executives have enormous financial and technological influence. Forbes values Karp at about $15.9 billion and Thiel at around $31.9 billion. Amodei is estimated to be worth about $15.5 billion, while Altman is worth around $3.3 billion. Nadella and Pichai are each estimated at about $1.3 billion.

Huang, Zuckerberg and Musk are in an entirely different league. Huang is estimated to be worth about $193.5 billion, Zuckerberg about $198.8 billion and Musk about $889.9 billion. Musk was also briefly the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s IPO.

AI looks more like a threat than an opportunity

The distrust of AI leaders is matched by a wider sense of anxiety about what AI could mean for young workers. According to the CNBC poll, 45% of respondents said AI would have a negative impact on their careers. Only 10% thought it would help them.

This fear is also shaping how they want AI to be controlled. Forty percent said the federal government should set the rules for AI, while 36% preferred an independent expert body. Only 8% said AI should not be regulated.

The infrastructure behind the technology is also facing resistance. Sixty percent said construction of new data centres should be slowed down, while only 15% wanted it accelerated.

In other words, the generation that will probably spend the largest part of its working life alongside AI is not particularly convinced that the people building it have its interests at heart.

The bigger worry is money

AI is only one part of a much larger feeling of uncertainty. Nearly 80% of those surveyed had a negative view of the US economy. Forty-five percent called the economy “bad”, another 27% called it “really bad” and 6% said it “couldn’t be worse”.

The outlook was hardly more positive. Half of respondents said the economy would get worse, while only 22% thought it would improve.

For many, the problem is close to home. Housing was the biggest financial pressure point, cited by 45% of respondents. Another 39% pointed to finding a secure, decent-paying job. Student loans, credit-card debt and healthcare were also major concerns.

Those pressures are already changing how young Americans spend. Forty-seven percent said they had put off vacations because of their finances. Thirty-two percent had delayed plans to buy a car, 30% had postponed buying a home and 28% said they had skipped or delayed healthcare.

When it comes to money, 53% said they put it in the bank, while 46% said spending on things they enjoy was a financial priority. Thirty-eight percent said they were paying off credit-card or college debt.

Democratic socialism finds a receptive audience

It is against this backdrop of economic anxiety that democratic socialism is gaining ground among younger Americans. The CNBC/Generation Lab survey found that 46% of respondents between 18 and 34 had either a “favorable” or “very favorable” view of democratic socialism. Only 23% held an unfavorable view.

The survey, conducted for the first time this year, comes as democratic socialist candidates have gained attention across the US. Francesca Hong, the DSA-backed candidate for Wisconsin governor, narrowly lost her primary to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley this week. But the result has not necessarily taken the shine off the movement.

“We built something that will change politics forever,” Hong told supporters late Tuesday, according to CNBC. “The work we’ve done will be remembered.”

The movement has also seen wins in Democratic House primaries in Colorado and Pennsylvania and in the Washington, D.C., mayoral race. One of its most prominent recent figures is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The numbers fit into a wider shift in attitudes towards capitalism and socialism. A 2025 Gallup poll found that 54% of Americans had a favourable view of capitalism, its lowest rating since the question was first asked. Support for socialism rose to 39%, matching its previous highs in 2012 and 2019.

Even prediction markets are finding young users

There is another interesting sign of how this generation is responding to uncertainty: prediction markets. As platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket spend heavily on advertising, younger Americans are increasingly using them. One-third of those surveyed said they had used a prediction-market platform once or twice in the previous 30 days.

Another 30% said they had used one two to five times, while 11% said they traded on such platforms more than once a week. It paints a picture of a generation that is willing to engage with new technology, new financial products and new political ideas — but is increasingly sceptical of the institutions and leaders behind them.

Young Americans are not simply saying they dislike AI. They are saying they are worried about what it will do to their jobs, who gets to control it, how much infrastructure will be built around it and whether the people leading the race can be trusted.

At the same time, they are dealing with expensive housing, insecure work, debt and an economy they largely believe is getting worse. For the people building the next version of the economy, the message from this generation is fairly clear, they may be willing to live with AI, but they are not yet willing to trust the people selling them its future.