The AI Job Apocalypse: Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass w/ Jasmine Sun
Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

The AI Job Apocalypse: Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass w/ Jasmine Sun

May 20, 2026
51:52
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About this episode

What happens if AI becomes smarter than humans at most jobs? SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Researchers, economists, and top AI executives are increasingly warning about the rise of a “permanent underclass”, a future where millions of workers lose not just their jobs, but their economic value altogether. In this episode of Power User, I sit down with writer Jasmine Sun to unpack the terrifying idea that artificial intelligence could permanently reshape class, wealth, labor, and power in America. We discuss OpenAI, Anthropic, AGI, automation, white collar layoffs, Silicon Valley ideology, AI job displacement, universal basic income, data center protests, populism, and whether society is prepared for what’s coming next. Could AI destroy upward mobility? Will automation create mass unemployment? Are tech companies being honest about the future they’re building? We cover: The permanent underclass theory explained Who is actually pushing this idea OpenAI's shifting stance on job displacement Leading the Future and AI lobbying Why AI is different from past tech hype Policy failures and democratic backlash What China is doing differently What workers should actually do now #AI #Tech #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #AGI #OpenAI #Anthropic #SiliconValley #TechNews #JobAutomation #AIJobs #TechIndustry

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Episode Details

Author
Taylor Lorenz
Show Type
full
Audio Format
audio/mpeg

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