Bernie Sanders Has Questions For Elon Musk And His 'Fellow Oligarchs' About How AI, Robotics Will Bring Utopia To The World

• The Tesla CEO had stated that people like Sanders lack ‘any sense of adventure’ and they are essentially ‘cowards.’
• Musk has stated several times that work might become optional in the future as AI's role in everyday life grows.
• The S&P 500 benchmark has gained over 15% this year, fueled by investor optimism surrounding AI and related spending.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has poked holes in billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s vision of achieving “universal high income” and “eliminating poverty” through AI, raising concerns about job losses.

In a video posted on Musk’s social media platform X, Sanders said, “How will this utopia come about if young people can't find the entry-level jobs that used to exist and they are unemployed without income?”

The latest jab at Musk and other billionaires came after Sanders called for a "moratorium" on new data center construction over fears that unregulated AI would lead to millions of job losses. In response, the Tesla CEO had stated that people like Sanders lack “any sense of adventure” and are essentially “cowards.”

“I look forward to hearing about how you and your other oligarch friends are going to provide working people with the magnificent life that you promise,” Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, said on Thursday.

Musk’s Vision

Musk has stated several times that work might become optional in the future as AI's role in everyday life grows. “It’ll be like playing sports or a video game … you can go to the store and just buy some vegetables, or you can grow vegetables in your backyard. It’s much harder to grow vegetables in your backyard, but some people still do because they like growing vegetables,” he stated last month.

Musk, whose company expects to build a million humanoid Optimus robots within the next year, said that if there are continued improvements in AI and robotics, money would become “irrelevant” at some point.

AI-Driven Rally

The S&P 500 benchmark has gained over 15% this year, on course to notch its third straight year of gains. Much of this rally has been fueled by investor optimism surrounding AI and related spending. NVIDIA, whose chips are essential to advanced computing, became the first company to reach $5 trillion in valuation this year. Gen AI startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic have also achieved lofty valuations. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits about the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust was still in the ‘bearish’ territory at the time of writing.

Despite a slowdown in Tesla vehicle sales, the stock has gained nearly 24%, reaffirming investor confidence in Musk’s leadership as the company deepens its investment in artificial intelligence and robotics.

Tesla shareholders also approved a record $1 trillion pay package for Musk that requires Tesla to meet ambitious operational and financial milestones, including 20 million vehicle deliveries, 10 million active FSD subscriptions, 1 million Optimus robots, and 1 million robotaxis in commercial service.

Robinhood CEO Throws A Solution

Vlad Tenev, the CEO of retail trading platform Robinhood, also took part in the debate. He argued that giving retail investors a slice of privately held AI companies could alleviate some concerns.

“People worry AI will take their jobs and give them nothing back. If we don't act accordingly, they will push back harder and harder against AI acceleration,” Tenev said. “Give them a stake in the leading AI companies, and they'll become supporters and defenders.”

Stocks in large, privately owned companies like OpenAI and SpaceX are typically not accessible to everyday investors, as these firms independently decide who can purchase stakes. When Robinhood began offering OpenAI tokens, the Sam Altman-headed startup distanced itself from the offerings. Robinhood sees tokens of private companies as a key component of its efforts to bolster sales.

Also See: Nike’s Comeback Isn’t A Sprint — China Is Turning It Into A Marathon

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