Thanks to AI and robotics
Imagine a world where work isn’t a necessity but a choice, where robots perform vast amounts of labor, and money loses its grip as the primary exchange. This is the future Elon Musk envisions within the next 10 to 20 years. As the founder of Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and Neuralink, Musk foresees an era overtaken by AI and robotics that will fundamentally reshape not just how we work, but what work even means.
At a recent U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington D.C., Musk described a future where having a job will be optional, much like choosing between growing vegetables in your backyard or buying them from a store. Robots, thousands upon thousands, will take over routine tasks and several industries, boosting productivity and substantially diminishing the need for human labor.
From electric cars to humanoid robots
Musk’s work with Tesla started with electric vehicles but has expanded into robotics, with the latest development of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. Musk has suggested Optimus could eventually account for as much as 80% of Tesla’s value, which is a prediction that signals Tesla’s ambition to become more than a carmaker.
Despite high-profile production delays, Optimus represents a giant leap toward Musk’s vision where robots become integral to everyday life – potentially within the decade – handling tasks from manufacturing to the potential of even medical procedures.
What happens when money becomes irrelevant
This sci-fi-like future, however, does not come without challenges. Physical robots require costly materials, sophisticated engineering, and face adoption delays that software AI doesn’t. Economists caution that while AI’s capabilities are rapidly advancing, the timeline for widespread automation of labor-intensive roles may be longer than Musk’s optimistic view.
The obvious question, however, remains. What happens to money when machines do most of the work? According to Musk, AI and automation could push society toward a post-scarcity future where money matters far less, and access to goods and services is universal.
Musk has hinted at “universal high income” as a way to sustain society in such a scenario, aligning with ideas advocated by AI leaders like OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who backs universal basic income as a response to increasing automation.
The search for meaning beyond work
The implications of work becoming optional extend beyond economics. Social scientists highlight that much of human fulfillment stems from meaningful work relationships. And if those roles diminish, new paradigms for purpose and connection will have to emerge.
Musk has also wondered what this shift means for people, and whether humans might end up finding purpose by giving AI a sense of direction, rather than the other way around.
For founders and entrepreneurs steering ventures in AI and robotics, Musk’s vision can be both an inspiration and a warning. The promise of automation offers new opportunities, of course, but the complexity of hardware, slow adoption, and the social dynamics around labor point toward the need for more careful navigation all around.
