It’s common advice online and in business that we must find a niche—we must specialize in order to thrive.

When we look at our own bills to pay, we see AI as a potential immediate threat to our livelihood. What if we get fired and can’t find another job?

But when we look at species of the past that have either thrived or gone extinct, we can see the arc play out from a higher vantage point.

The essential takeaway is this: Specialist species (ones located in a specific biome or tied to a very specific resource) thrive when conditions are stable. They are more likely to do extremely well, but they are also more likely to go extinct when things go sideways.

Generalist species, on the other hand, may not maximize resources in the short term. But they are more likely to survive when conditions change.

We are undergoing a time of massive change.

The answer for you might be to generalize and adapt, as we watch specific old models crumble around us.