The skeptic who has—perhaps correctly—identified that AI’s impact on productivity is still unproven, that many “AI transformations” are corporate theater—adding a spark logo to your app is not enough—that the hype cycle has outrun reality may be analytically right. But they cannot speak the language; they haven’t built the muscle memory or the nice-sounding portfolio. When they sit across from a hiring manager who has staked their department’s budget on an AI strategy, they represent the past. Or worse: those preventing the company’s future.