Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has a career lesson from 3 Nobel prize winners as AI forces layoffs and changes jobs across the world

As artificial intelligence changes the nature of jobs and companies continue to restructure their workforces, Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has shared a simple career message inspired by three Nobel Prize winners. Mazumdar-Shaw shared a post from the official Nobel Prize account featuring 2023 laureates Katalin Karikó, Claudia Goldin and Anne L’Huillier discussing failure and persistence. Along with the video, she wrote: “Never give up. You may have a thousand reasons to let go but always find that one reason to hold on.”

The message comes at a time when workers across industries are dealing with rapid changes brought by AI, automation and shifting business requirements. For some, that has meant learning new skills. For others, it has meant changing roles or dealing with layoffs.

What the three Nobel winners said about failure

The Nobel Prize video features Karikó, Goldin and L’Huillier reflecting on their experiences with setbacks and the need to continue pursuing their work. One of the messages in the video is: “When you fail, be obstinate… never give up.”



Karikó's career provides a notable example of persistence. Her work on mRNA technology faced years of rejection and setbacks before the technology became an important part of the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

Goldin and L’Huillier also speak about challenges and failures they encountered during their careers. Their message is not about avoiding setbacks but about continuing to work through them.

Mazumdar-Shaw’s post amid AI changing jobs

The workplace has changed significantly in recent years. AI tools are being introduced into writing, coding, customer service, research, marketing and several other functions. Companies are also reviewing which tasks need people, which can be automated and what skills employees will need next.

That has created uncertainty for many workers. A job that looks secure today may involve very different responsibilities tomorrow. Some employees are being asked to work with AI tools, while others are having to acquire new skills to remain relevant as businesses change.

Against that backdrop, Mazumdar-Shaw's message takes on a wider career meaning. Her post does not specifically mention AI or layoffs, but the timing makes the idea of persistence relevant to workers navigating an uncertain job market.

Mazumdar-Shaw faced challenges in building business

Mazumdar-Shaw's own professional journey has involved building a biotechnology business in India at a time when the sector was still developing. Biocon grew from a small beginning into a major biopharmaceutical company, and Mazumdar-Shaw has spoken over the years about the challenges involved in building a business in a field that was not widely established in India when she started.

For a scientist, persistence can mean continuing an experiment after repeated failures. For an entrepreneur, it can mean staying with a business through difficult years. For an employee facing workplace disruption, it could mean learning a new skill or finding a different role. There is also a practical side to the message. Never giving up does not necessarily mean staying in the same job, company or career path. In a changing workplace, continuing may sometimes require changing direction.

That is what makes the message from the Nobel laureates relevant beyond science. Mazumdar-Shaw's post was brief, but its timing has given the message a wider context. As AI reshapes jobs and workers face uncertainty about what comes next, the lesson she chose to share was straightforward: setbacks can be a reason to rethink the path, but they do not have to be a reason to stop moving forward.