Robert F. Smith is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners and one of the most influential investors and philanthropists in technology and education today.

Dr. Monique Guillory is an educator, cultural scholar, and university president known for her leadership in higher education and her work at the intersection of Black studies, innovation, and institutional transformation.

This wide-ranging conversation brings together history, technology, education, and moral leadership to confront a single reality: the world is changing faster than our institutions are willing to admit. Robert Smith—in conversation with the President of Dillard University, Dr. Monique Guillory—reflects on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., emphasizing that economic justice—not just civil rights—was always central to King’s vision, and that younger generations are still willing to put their bodies on the line when injustice is clear.

From there, the discussion pivots to the present and future, where artificial intelligence and software are rapidly reshaping labor, wealth, and opportunity. Smith argues that higher education—especially HBCUs—faces an existential crisis if it does not radically rethink how it prepares students for an economy driven by AI, automation, and data. The old promise of “get a degree, get a job” no longer holds.

Drawing from his own journey—leaving a prestigious career to take calculated risks—Smith makes the case that understanding systems, capital, and arbitrage is now essential for survival. The core message is both urgent and hopeful: those who learn how the new economy works, lean into innovation, and act boldly can shape the future rather than be erased by it. Sitting still, he warns, is the greatest risk of all.

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