STOP. OpenAI's Sam Altman doesn't run the U.S. and isn't the CEO of the world. His company is up to its ears in debt and isn't expected to make a profit this decade. Now he wants a public wealth fund and taxes on automated labor?
Business Insider: OpenAI calls for robot taxes, a public wealth fund, and a 4-day workweek to tackle AI disruption https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-superintelligence-ai-upheaval-tax-shorter-workweek-public-wealth-fund-2026-4 @BusinessInsider #OpenAI #SamAltman
@AAKL @BusinessInsider He is calling for UBI and a shorter work week, while also proposing a shift to taxing successful companies.
UBI and a shorter week paid for through higher corporate taxes gives workers more time and puts money where it needs to be - the hands of people who are likely to spend it on things they need.
(I am one of those weirdos who thinks we should be having shorter weeks by now, regardless of AI)
@Epic_Null @AAKL @BusinessInsider There was an article called "In Praise of Idleness" posted here a while back, which is from right after WW1. He argues that if they had kept the rational production scheme from the war, we could have had shorter hours even then.
There are some hard and stubborn laws of economics that get in the way of that no matter how advanced tech gets. It is cheaper to employ one person for 8 hours than two for 4, even if you get rid of fixed costs like health care 1/2
@Epic_Null @AAKL @BusinessInsider as a factor. Above 8 hours a day you get diminishing returns in output from most people.
If you wanted to shorten hours, four days a week makes more sense than working a few hours every weekday. There are two or three hours of overhead in getting to and from work.
That would require legally treating more than say 30 hours a week as "time and a half" and fixing the "management salaried" garbage in places like tech.
Technically possible, but not likely. 2/2
AA
Epic Null
mike805