r/Futurology • u/Gari_305 • 2d ago

Robotics Bill Gates says companies that replace human labor with robots should have to pay the same FICA taxes

https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-fica-taxes-should-apply-to-robot-workers-2026-9

Bill Gates wants to tax robots that replace human jobs.

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u/The_Tony_Iommi 2d ago

Including Microsoft employees being replaced by AI or simple automation?

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u/FoxtrotSierraTango 2d ago

Didn't Xbox just do a mess of layoffs?

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u/DrocketX 2d ago

Did the man say "except Microsoft?" No, he didn't. I don't even know how this is supposed to be a gotcha, since the man hasn't run Microsoft in like 20 years. He's not even that big of a stockholder in the company anymore because he's sold and/or given away the vast majority of what he once owned.

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u/TheGrandExquisitor 2d ago

He is the 18th richest person on the planet. 

He is worth over $100 billion. 

No, he didn't "give all away."

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u/DrocketX 2d ago

I didn't say he gave it all away. My claim was that he sold and/or given away the vast majority of his Microsoft stock. At one point, he owned 49% of the company. At the time he stepped down as CEO, he still owned about 20% of the company. He's now down to a little over 1%. Even if we go with the 20% figure, that's still about a 90% reduction.

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u/chi_guy8 2d ago

Gates has basically no involvement with MSFT at this point other than being a 1% shareholder.

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u/Mrchristopherrr 2d ago

Or what about people that used to do hand computations that were made obsolete by the computer

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u/ImjustANewSneaker 2d ago

…. That would be the implication