WHAT IF MONEY REALLY BECOMES WORTHLESS BY 2036? ELON MUSK JUST MADE A PROMISE THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING
Elon Musk has made a remarkable prediction: within the next 10 years, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could create such an enormous level of abundance that money may eventually lose much of its meaning.
During an interview with The Economist, Musk described a future where AI-powered machines could produce almost everything people need or want at extremely low cost. In such a world, he suggested, the problem may no longer be a lack of goods and services. Instead, the bigger problem could be what happens when production becomes almost limitless. Musk even suggested that deflation could become a greater concern than inflation.
But then someone asked a question that turned his prediction into a much bigger story.
Daron Acemoglu, the MIT economist who received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics, challenged Musk directly. His argument was simple: if money really won’t matter in a decade, why not give away the fortune?
Acemoglu suggested that Musk should pledge his enormous wealth — described in the exchange as roughly $1 trillion — to non-ideological charities by 2036.
And then came the surprising response.
Musk did not simply reject the challenge. On X, he replied: “I am actually going to do something along these lines!”
That single sentence immediately raised another question: What exactly does he mean?
Musk has not yet announced a detailed plan showing how much he would give away, when it would happen, or which organizations would receive the money. So for now, the promise remains short on details.
But the larger question is fascinating.
If AI and robots eventually become capable of producing goods, services and even physical labor at an extraordinary scale, could society really reach a point where having more money no longer gives someone more power or access?
Or is the idea of a “moneyless” future much harder than it sounds?
We may not have to wait forever to find out.
2036 is only a decade away.
And if Musk’s prediction comes true, the biggest question may not be how much money people have — but whether money still matters at all.
Source: Mitra, S. (2026). Nobel laureate tells Musk: If money won’t matter, give away $1T. Seeking Alpha.
ALT WHAT IF MONEY REALLY BECOMES WORTHLESS BY 2036? ELON MUSK JUST MADE A PROMISE THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING
What would happen to the world if money suddenly stopped being important?
Elon Musk has made a remarkable prediction: within the next 10 years, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could create such an enormous level of abundance that money may eventually lose much of its meaning.
During an interview with The Economist, Musk described a future where AI-powered machines could produce almost everything people need or want at extremely low cost. In such a world, he suggested, the problem may no longer be a lack of goods and services. Instead, the bigger problem could be what happens when production becomes almost limitless. Musk even suggested that deflation could become a greater concern than inflation.