Elon Musk Claims Money May Lose Its Power And Work Could Become Optional Within 20 Years

Elon Musk is once again challenging how we think about the future of the economy, work, and even money itself. In a series of recent talks and interviews, he has argued that advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics could, within the next 10–20 years, make most traditional jobs optional and dramatically reduce the importance of money in everyday life.

What exactly is Musk predicting?

Musk’s core claim is straightforward but radical: if AI systems and humanoid robots continue to improve at their current pace, machines will eventually perform almost all forms of labor better, faster, and cheaper than humans. In that world, people would no longer need to work to survive. Instead, work would become something people choose to do for meaning, creativity, or status — more like a hobby than an obligation.

At recent technology and investment forums, he has repeated the view that AI and robots will drive such powerful productivity gains that “working will be optional” in less than two decades. He imagines a future where humans oversee automated systems rather than doing most of the physical or routine mental work themselves.

Why money might “stop being relevant”

From this vision of extreme productivity comes Musk’s second, even more controversial idea: money itself could lose much of its power. If AI and robots can produce abundant goods and services at near-zero marginal cost, the traditional link between hours worked and income starts to break down. In that scenario, struggling to earn enough money just to pay for basic needs may no longer define most people’s lives.

Musk has floated the concept of a “universal high income” — going beyond today’s debates about basic income. In his view, if machines generate enormous wealth, societies could choose to distribute enough resources to give everyone a very comfortable standard of living, even if they never hold a conventional job. He has even speculated that, over time, currency could become less central as access to goods, services, and digital experiences becomes nearly universal.

The role of AI and humanoid robots

A key pillar of this vision is the rapid progress in humanoid robots, including Tesla’s Optimus project. Musk believes such robots could eventually take over manufacturing, logistics, and many service roles, operating around the clock and at very low cost. Combined with increasingly powerful AI models that can plan, coordinate, and optimize complex tasks, this could reshape entire industries and the global economy.

If that happens, Musk argues, there would be “no shortage of goods or services” in many areas. Energy, housing construction, transportation, and healthcare could all be heavily automated and scaled, pushing society toward a kind of practical abundance rather than scarcity.

Will humans really stop working?

Even if technology makes work optional in a financial sense, that does not mean people will simply stop working. Humans naturally seek purpose, challenge, and connection. In a highly automated world, many might choose to “work” as artists, creators, community leaders, researchers, or entrepreneurs — roles focused more on meaning than on survival.

However, there are serious challenges between today and Musk’s imagined future. Governments and institutions would need to rethink taxation, social safety nets, and education. Without strong policies, the wealth created by AI and robots could end up concentrated in a few hands, increasing inequality instead of eliminating it. Many experts also stress the need to manage the transition carefully, with support for displaced workers and new forms of lifelong learning.

A warning and an invitation

Ultimately, Musk’s message is both hopeful and provocative. On one hand, he paints a future where poverty disappears, basic needs are guaranteed, and people are free to pursue lives they truly enjoy. On the other hand, he warns that if societies fail to prepare, the same technologies could cause disruption, instability, and deep social divides.

Whether or not his 20-year timeline proves accurate, his predictions force us to ask big questions now: What should work mean when it is no longer required? How should we share the benefits of AI and automation? And if money really does lose some of its power, what will we choose to value instead?