At the U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum this week, Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sat onstage and casually debated the future of humanity the way the rest of us debate which player to start in fantasy football this week. The now-viral 66-second clip shows Musk laying out his vision for a world where AI and humanoid robots produce so much everything that currency becomes “irrelevant.”
A brave prediction, considering that in Jackson, even a used Suburban still costs more than a starter home in most U.S. cities.
But let’s take him at his word.
Musk’s Big Pitch: Robots Will Make Everyone Rich
According to Musk, we’re just 10–20 years away from the ultimate plot twist:
No one will have to work… because robots will do everything.
He compares future employment to playing sports or video games, purely elective activities done for fun.
(If you’ve ever watched someone try to book a Jackson Hole condo during Christmas week, you understand that “optional work” is already a local concept.)
Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot is his poster child for this new era. A tireless, wage-free worker who can manufacture goods, build homes, clean kitchens, and probably still won’t refill the bear spray canister you forgot in your truck.
Musk says Tesla won’t be alone; hundreds of companies will race to build human-like robots smart enough to do “any job a person can do.” In fairness, this is great news for anyone who has tried to hire a contractor in Teton County and been told the next available opening is “early 2032.”
A Future With No Scarcity… Except Maybe Parking at Albertsons
Musk argues that once robots handle all of our production, economic scarcity will disappear. Everything becomes so abundant that money loses meaning, which is adorable given that just last week a studio apartment in Rafter J was listed for the price of a mid-range Gulfstream.
Sure, physics still exists. We’ll still need energy and materials. But in Musk World™:
- Fusion reactors could produce unlimited electricity
- AI-optimized robots will mine 24/7
- Vertical farms feed everyone cheaply
- And the rest of us perfect our pickleball backhands
“Robots Will Eliminate Poverty” (Insert Jackson Housing Joke Here)
Musk insists AI and humanoid robots won’t just reduce poverty, they’ll “actually eliminate poverty” entirely. Everyone becomes wealthy by default. Globally. Universally. Even developers in Wilson.
We’re imagining a world where no one fights on Facebook Community Forums about short-term rentals, and honestly, it’s hard to picture.
What Do We Do All Day If No One Works?
Musk admits that freeing humans from labor could create “boredom,” which is easy to say when you’re the world’s busiest billionaire and still find time to launch a new startup every Tuesday. But he envisions people leaning into creativity, innovation, art, science, or here in Jackson, returning to our natural passions:
- Skiing
- Fishing
- Photography
- Complaining about tourists
- And still skiing
Whether this future feels utopian or mildly terrifying depends on whether you think giving robots all the jobs is a great idea or the plot of the prequel to The Terminator.
The Critics Are… Plentiful
As expected, some forum attendees reacted with skepticism, pointing out the eerie resemblance to that “you’ll own nothing and be happy” meme. Musk counters that this isn’t dystopia; it’s democratized wealth through technological abundance.
(We counter that if the robots want to try their first 8 a.m. powder day lift line at Teton Village, they’re welcome to the challenge.)
So What’s the Takeaway?
Musk is describing one of two possible futures:
Option 1: Star Trek
Robots do all the work.
Humans relax.
Poverty ends.
Money fades away.
Everyone lives their best life.
Option 2: Cyberpunk Wyoming
Robots do all the work.
A handful of trillion-dollar companies own everything.
You pay a monthly subscription to toast bread.
And someone still steals your ski rack.
Musk, naturally, is rooting for Option 1 and insists we can get there within 20 years. Whether Jackson ever experiences a world where “work is optional” remains to be seen, but if robots can shovel snow off a Teton Village driveway in February, we’re listening.
Until then, money is still very relevant, and if you doubt that, try going out to dinner in Jackson.
