When I first read David Epstein's Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, it immediately made sense to me.
The basic argument was that in complex environments, people with broader experience often have an advantage because they can recognize patterns across domains. They may not be the deepest expert in one narrow field, but they can see connections that others miss because they have spent time in more than one kind of problem.
That idea resonated with me then, but I think it may matter even more now.
For the last 15–20 years, a lot of the technology market rewarded specialization. There was good reason for that. The tools were complicated, the systems were growing, and deep expertise mattered. It still matters. I do not think AI removes the need for specialists.
But I do think AI changes the leverage equation.
In an AI-enabled company, the person who creates the most value may not always be the person with the deepest skill in one isolated function. It may be the person who understands enough of the business to know where the tools should be aimed in the first place.
That kind of person understands how sales actually works, where operations break down, what customers complain about, how finance thinks about margin, what product needs to prioritize, where engineering gets stuck, how teams communicate, and what leadership is really trying to accomplish. They may not be the best engineer, marketer, analyst, or operator in isolation, but they can move between those worlds and connect the dots.
I think that ability is becoming much more valuable.
AI can help fill in tactical gaps. It can help write the first draft, analyze the spreadsheet, summarize the research, generate the workflow, draft the code, produce the campaign, or pressure-test the plan. But AI still needs context. It still needs someone who knows what matters, what is noise, where the real pain is, and what the business is actually trying to accomplish.
That is where the generalist becomes more powerful. Not the shallow generalist who knows a little about everything and owns nothing. I mean the operating generalist. The person with enough context across product, technology, finance, operations, go-to-market, and people to aim the tools at the right problems.
When Range came out, I thought it was insightful because it explained why breadth could be an advantage in a specialized world.
Today, I think that advantage may be even more important. In a world where AI can produce more output than ever, the ability to bring context, judgment, and connection across domains may become one of the most valuable skills in the company.