What happens when your dream major turns out to be nothing like you imagined? In this episode of Elite Ball Knowledge, I talk with Michael Cai, a Harvard student who recently switched from computer science and linguistics to neuroscience.

We dive into why he left CS, how idealism gets crushed by the tech industry, and the weird ethics of attention economies and AI slop. From populism to philosophy, generational burnout to post-capitalist meaning, this one spirals fast—but never aimlessly. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re studying the right thing, whether tech is saving the world or just running it, or why so many brilliant people still feel completely lost—this episode is for you.

Topics include:

– Why people leave computer science

– Free market ethics and tech dystopias

– Philosophy as a survival skill

– Populism and generational alienation

– Mental health, apathy, and the myth of meaning

– Harvard vs the idea of Harvard