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The biggest workplace debate of the next decade might not be about asking for a raise. It could be figuring out what to do when the robots have already finished the job.
That’s the future Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk painted during a conversation with XPRIZE founder Peter Diamandis at the Abundance Summit in March. Rather than warning that artificial intelligence will simply replace workers, Musk described a world where AI and humanoid robots become so productive that scarcity itself starts to disappear, leaving governments to rethink how people earn an income.
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When the Robots Finish Before Lunch
Musk said the explosion in AI and robotics won’t simply automate repetitive work. He believes it could eventually produce more goods and services than people could reasonably consume.
"Yeah, it’s basically AI and robots are going to make so much stuff and provide so many services that they will actually run out of things to do for the humans," Musk told Diamandis.
"They’ll just run out of things to do for the humans," he continued. "There’s only so much that humans can even express that they want."
Musk said that if the economy became hundreds or even thousands of times larger than it is today, human demand would eventually hit a ceiling while machines continued producing at extraordinary levels.
Paychecks Without Punching In
That abundance, Musk said, changes the economic equation entirely.
Rather than focusing on universal basic income, Musk described what he called universal high income, arguing that governments could simply send people money because AI-generated output would dramatically outpace growth in the money supply.
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"I do think we’ll have universal high income," he said. "We’re basically just issuing money to people."
Musk explained that the massive increase in goods and services would create deflationary pressure instead of inflation.
"So if the rate of growth of goods and services far exceeds the rate of growth of the money supply," he continued, "then you will have deflation."
The comments build on ideas Musk has discussed for years as advances in artificial intelligence accelerate and companies pour billions into automation.
The Gap Between Now and Universal High Income
Musk’s timeline for universal high income is still just that — a timeline. No government is issuing checks because AI hit deflationary abundance. The robots haven’t taken over yet, and until they do, people still need ways to close the gap between what they earn and what they need.
That’s the space Mode Mobile is playing in right now. The company has built a model that lets people earn money from the smartphone activity they’re already doing — scrolling, gaming, browsing — turning downtime into a small but steady income stream instead of pure ad revenue for the platforms. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, Mode Mobile has scaled a large beta user base betting that "extra income from your phone" resonates whether or not Musk’s abundance economy ever fully arrives.
Whether Musk’s vision unfolds exactly as he predicts remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the demand for practical ways to earn extra money isn’t going anywhere — and that’s a need companies like Mode Mobile are built to meet.
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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
Arrived
Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.
Realberry
Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access. Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3.4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests.
FarmTogether
Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.
Immersed
Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.
Fundrise
Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.
Mode Mobile
Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.
EquityMultiple
For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.
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This article Elon Musk Says AI and Robots Will Do ‘So Much Stuff’ We Run Out of Things for Humans to Do — But ‘We’ll Basically Just Issue Money to People’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com.
