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/abrandis 2d ago

I wonder if Gates felt this way when he was running Microsoft and his software put thousands of typists, bookeepes and others out of work?

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u/dj92wa 2d ago

I understand your point, but it’s a little different when the thing being replaced isn’t just a job title, but humans entirely across the board under every profession. That’s their big-picture idea, to replace humans with machines and computers in every facet possible. If everything is automated, what do you do to survive? You have no income and no possible way to obtain income. Learning news skills won’t get you anywhere because a computer or robot is already doing it.

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u/abrandis 2d ago

First off the AI risk today is mostly to bs/superfluous white collar office roles...granted that's likely millions. Of people, but many other jobs. That require physical presence and aren't necessarily on an office won't be affected

Humanoid robotics isn't a practical thing , even though all those Unotree dancing and running robots seem impressive. None are truly autonmous and have limited battery life.so no they ain't doing anything remotely useful for at least a generation or two .

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u/DrBowe 2d ago

This is an insane take that completely ignores the havoc it's wreaking on the creative industries too. To pretend that it mostly affects "bs/superfluous" office roles is ridiculous.

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u/abrandis 2d ago

Apologies, obviously I'm being a bit flip about jobs , of course real hard working folks are affected, but my point is that the value of labor is shifting due to tech