Former Meta AI Executive Clara Shih Launches Nonprofit To Prepare Gen Z For AI-Dominated Labor Market

Clara Shih’s New Work Foundation aims to future-proof Gen Z careers using AI tools after witnessing agents outperform top white-collar workers.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 26, 2026, 3:03 PM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Fortune

A Witness To The Automation Turning Point

For Clara Shih, the reality of the AI revolution became undeniable last fall. While serving as an executive at Meta, Shih observed AI agents matching and eventually surpassing the performance of some of her highest-achieving human employees across complex work tasks. Describing the experience as "radicalizing," Shih realized that the standard corporate ladder was being fundamentally restructured. This observation, coupled with reports of elite graduates struggling to secure entry-level roles, prompted her to pivot from building corporate AI to helping the next generation survive it.

The New Work Foundation And "Dear CC"

To address the growing displacement of white-collar workers, Shih launched the New Work Foundation under the consumer-facing brand Dear CC. The nonprofit operates on the philosophy that the only way to remain competitive in a market moving at "breakneck speed" is to provide workers with the same high-level AI tools that threaten their roles. Shih argues that traditional career development is no longer fast enough to keep pace with algorithmic advancement, necessitating a new curriculum focused on "AI agent fluency."

Data-Driven Career Tools For The Modern Job Seeker

The foundation has introduced several AI-enabled platforms designed to give Gen Zers a strategic advantage: