Selçuk Bayraktar to youth: Aim high, never settle for less

The TEKNOFEST chairman said the festival was breaking attendance records.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskOctober 04, 2026, 05:59 PMUpdated: October 04, 2026, 08:48 PM

Selçuk Bayraktar to youth: Aim high, never settle for less

TEKNOFEST board chairman Selçuk Bayraktar told reporters at TEKNOFEST Southeast in Şanlıurfa that the festival was “breaking attendance records one after another.” Asked for his advice to young people, he said: "Aim high, never settle for less. We were the ‘Can we do it?’ generation. You are the ‘If we do it, we do the world’s best’ generation." He also said a reverse brain drain had begun, with thousands of academics and technologists returning.

Before answering reporters' questions, Bayraktar spoke at the closing program of the KÜRE Talks, titled “Human and Autonomy” and moderated by Abdullah Eren. He said debates on artificial intelligence and autonomy were not merely technical but also had philosophical and theological dimensions, arguing that an intellectual approach that instrumentalizes people and turns them into commodities was being imposed. Bayraktar said that, according to his faith, the human being is the most honorable of creation.

Saying he was moved by young people's interest in TEKNOFEST and the sacrifices they make for their projects, Bayraktar advised them to balance their education with project work. He said the TEKNOFEST generation is the brightest star shining for humanity, civilization and the nation.