Mastodawn

Dan McCullough 2d ago

Louie Mantia, Jr.

I keep thinking about what the desired endgame is with AI. So you’ve made worse things with AI, but as expensive or more expensive, just with a smaller workforce. As a result, more people are out of jobs, the wealth gap widens, and people can’t afford to buy the product anymore anyway.

Louie Mantia, Jr.3d ago

I’m asking the question beyond the question of why. Follow this to its logical conclusion. At what point during the widening of the wealth gap does the rest of society decide currency is worth nothing at all? When it’s hoarded by only 8 people it’s absolutely worthless to everyone else.

So, what is the goal? Total economic collapse? The richest can already afford anything, why would they want to risk total economic collapse? Right now, when the currency is worth something, they can spend it.

prk60091 3d ago

@louie I do not know why- but many things have occured which foreshadow a total economic collapse.

Chris Frederick 2d ago

@louie I was under the impression that the U.S. is unique among its peers for having minimal wealth or inheritance taxes. On the one hand, you're absolutely right that AI billionaires are making the idea of wealth taxes much more palatable to the American public. On the other hand, given the degree of regulatory capture and outright corruption we've seen in the Trump 2.0 regime, I can't see the status quo changing without legislative turnover. Who knows—maybe that *will* happen this fall! 🤞🏼

Louie Mantia, Jr.2d ago

@kansaichris I don’t wanna dampen your hope but also I’ve known people who lived their whole lives hoping things would get better only to die without that hope satisfied. Voting is way too slow to reverse what’s happening right now.

Chris Frederick 2d ago

@louie I just think that the ultrawealthy haven't needed to give much thought to the rest of society for so long that they can't imagine the status quo changing any time soon, regardless of how things pan out with "AI". So why even worry? They may be right in the short- to medium-term, but eventually I have to believe that something will snap (and hopefully in a nonviolent way). I mean, I'm sure the French royalty considered themselves untouchable right up until the French revolution, too.

Louie Mantia, Jr.2d ago

@kansaichris how has it just not snapped yet? It feels like far less happened to spark [violent] revolutions before. Are we trying to maintain a moral high ground while people around us continue to suffer? What is the virtue in that?

Chris Frederick 2d ago

@louie It hasn't snapped in the sense that the American oligarchy still maintain their grip on power. I don't know who "we" are, nor am I sure what "moral high ground" you're talking about.

To be clear, it makes me angry to watch all the events that have transpired in the U.S. since I moved to Japan over a decade ago. But nihilism is exactly what the oligarchs want us to feel.

wladimir 2d ago

@louie https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/27/unnecessariat/#rubbuts-stole-my-jerb

Pluralistic: AI and a world without migrants (27 May 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Louie Mantia, Jr.1d ago

@nucholab I think this makes great observations, but doesn’t quite answer the question. If the endgame here is a world without migrants or people in the most extreme sense, then as I said before, people can simply ignore that the currency of the wealthy is even worth anything. While they can live in a fantasy world where everything is handled by an LLM-controlled robotic workforce, I don’t think *looks around at the planet* everyone is willing to go along for that ride.

Jackson Hayes 3d ago

@louie I think that’s the point. (Specifically, the wealth gap)

Louie Mantia, Jr.3d ago

@jacksonhayes sure! And then what! So you’ve made eight people hold 100% of the wealth.

The rest of us decide that currency doesn’t mean anything anymore, right? There must be a tipping point in a civilization where if the wealth gap gets too high we just stop accepting it as a currency anyway.

Jackson Hayes 3d ago

@louie I think it’s nothing but shortsightedness, people at the top making the money, and the tension between Them and Us grows and grows.

The foundation continues to crack and groan, and I absolutely believe there will be a tipping point. When? No idea. But it’s closer than it’s ever been, I think.

Sebastian 3d ago

@louie The richest are earning even more. From their perspective, isn't this a brilliant technology? In terms of business success, it's the ultimate triumph. And the rest? I get the impression they don't particularly care. Let the poor deal with it. Let them struggle on their own with the side effects of the exponentially growing fortunes of the wealthiest.

Louie Mantia, Jr.3d ago

@bstn yeah okay but I’m asking the questions beyond that. Like. What happens then? What’s the goal? As I said in another reply, when does everyone else decide the currency the right richest people hold is actually worth nothing?

Like, this is not a realistic plan. It only works if the currency holds value. If the wealth gap grows, people can decide the currency is not worth anything.

Sebastian 3d ago

@louie I think that's when a rebellion might break out. Empires and dictatorships have always been toppled by the people.

Louie Mantia, Jr.3d ago

@bstn but where is that line? Where’s the tipping point? I mean, I feel like I’ve seen a hundred of those moments pass us by.

Sebastian 2d ago

@louie I don't know that. But it seems to me that the tipping point always lies much further away than we would like. I see this by the history of my country, where people overthrew communism, but it was preceded by decades of oppression and poverty.