'You can hear me now or pay me later' Music exec tells graduates booing AI

A graduation speech turned into a mini culture-war scene when music boss Scott Borchetta told students that artificial intelligence, or AI, is changing music right now — and got hit with boos. Instead of backing off, the record executive fired back with a very dad-core warning: “deal with it” and “You can hear me now or pay me later.” That line may have been meant as tough love, but online? People heard it as pure boardroom swagger.

The comment section was absolutely not in a forgiving mood. One of the biggest applause lines came from the simple cheer, “The kids are alright,” turning the booing graduates into folk heroes for anyone worried AI could replace creative jobs. Others went full scorched-earth, blasting what they saw as executive arrogance and calling out wealthy industry figures who seem stunned that regular people don’t want to clap for technology that could shrink paychecks.

There was drama, too: some commenters said this is becoming a pattern after other big-name bosses also got booed over AI at commencements. The hottest argument was blunt and very relatable — if a tool threatens your future income in a society where you need income to survive, of course you’re going to boo. And because the internet can never resist a meme, one joker dropped the classic “one word. Plastics”, basically comparing today’s AI hype to the world’s most awkward career advice. Brutal, funny, and painfully on-theme.