It's tempting to assume malice, I don't doubt some of them really are so spiteful, but I assume most are just that out of touch.
They aren't out of touch when it comes to the prospect of cutting jobs and how it will pump their stock portfolios. They are drooling so hard the big risk is that they make the axe handle slick and throw the axe instead of slicing the job prospects of those in the audience.
It's ironic that these speakers tout AI benefits but failed to use it to learn what college students are concerned about