Responding to leaked internal Amazon documents, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said AI and robots will eventually replace all human jobs and working will become optional — “like growing your own vegetables for fun.” Musk predicted this would lead to “universal high income”.
Details of the leaked Amazon documents
Recently leaked internal Amazon documents reveal a plan to replace around 600,000 US workers with robots by 2027. The aim is to automate 75% of the company’s warehouse and logistics operations, which could save about USD 12.6 billion in labour costs between 2025 and 2027. The automation roadmap shows that, using advanced robotic systems such as Proteus and Sequoia, Amazon could avoid hiring 160,000 new workers by 2027 and save around 30 cents per item shipped.
Political and economic reactions
US Senator Bernie Sanders strongly criticised the plan, saying: “Big Tech oligarchs are coming for your job.” Meanwhile, Nobel-winning economist Daron Acemoğlu warned that Amazon’s move could make the company a “net job destroyer” and pressure competitors to adopt a similar model.
Amazon’s response
In a statement, Amazon said the leaked documents do not fully reflect the company’s hiring strategy and give an “incomplete and misleading” picture. Amazon stressed that automation creates new job opportunities in robot maintenance and AI management. Even so, the leak has once again put the future of human employment in the age of AI and robotics at the centre of global attention — a subject that, as Elon Musk puts it, may lead to a world where “work is no longer a necessity but a choice.”
