Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, is dominating the news cycle again with his social media post backing “universal high income.”

The force behind Starlink, SpaceX, and Tesla said on X that universal high income checks “issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by (artificial intelligence).”

Musk added that “AI/robotics will produce goods & services far in excess of the increase in the money supply, so there will not be inflation.”

Universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI.

AI/robotics will produce goods & services far in excess of the increase in the money supply, so there will not be inflation.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2026

Economist: It Would Bankrupt the Government

A noted rugged individualist, Musk surprised economists and politicians with his stance, which came before Reuters reported Friday that Meta is laying off 10% of its global workforce because of AI efficiencies.

“He is so wrong on this,” Sanjeev Sanyal, former top economic advisor to India’s Minister of Finance, responded to Musk on X.

“AI will certainly cause dislocation, but like all technology it will also create new jobs and opportunities in the medium term. AI and robots will also not produce goods and services in excess of money or demand that there will be no inflation. Both of these are classic mistakes made by those who think that there is a finite number of jobs to be done in the world and a finite set of consumer demands.

By their logic, we have already exceeded everything that even the wealthiest person could have imagined in 1800, so there should be no jobs or inflation in the 21st century. By the same token, @elonmusk ‘s universal high income will bankrupt any government that attempts it.”

Yang Supports the Idea

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang popularized the idea of Universal Basic Income of $1,000 a month during his 2020 campaign. He posted on X: “It’s clear that AI will wind up funding universal income. Let’s make that happen ASAP.”

Yang also has weighed in recently on AI’s rapid revolution and triggering of job cuts. He said in an April 1 X post: “Talked to an executive who is deploying AI at a big tech company: ‘It even snuck up on us. It’s spreading from a couple initial departments to all departments. It will affect hundreds of thousands of employees. I’m stunned at the pace.’ ”

Talked to an executive who is deploying AI at a big tech company: “It even snuck up on us. It’s spreading from a couple initial departments to all departments. It will affect hundreds of thousands of employees. I’m stunned at the pace.”

— Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) April 12, 2026