Elon Musk, who is on track to become the world’s first trillionaire following SpaceX’s highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO), has once again sparked global discussion with a futuristic take on money and economics. According to estimates compiled by Reuters using company filings and Forbes data, Musk’s net worth is projected to surpass $1.1 trillion, with SpaceX emerging as the largest driver of his unprecedented fortune. While the financial milestone has drawn widespread attention, it is a recently resurfaced interview clip that is now fueling debate for a very different reason.
In the video, Musk appears to question the long-term relevance of money itself, suggesting that technological progress could eventually reshape the entire concept of value and wealth.
‘Money may lose relevance in the future’The clip is taken from a conversation between Elon Musk and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis at the 2026 Abundance Summit. During the discussion, Musk laid out his vision of a future dominated by artificial intelligence and robotics—one in which machines become so capable and productive that conventional economic systems begin to lose their current meaning.
“We’re going to have universal high income. We’ll basically just issue money to people,” Musk remarked, describing a world where income distribution could become automated or universally guaranteed.
He further explained that the rapid advancement of AI and robotics could lead to an era where production of goods and services becomes so abundant that human labor, as it exists today, may no longer be the central driver of economic activity.
“AI and robots are going to make so much stuff and provide so many services that they’ll run out of things to do for humans,” he said, highlighting the possibility of extreme automation reshaping work and consumption.
The most striking line from the conversation, which has since gone viral across social media platforms, was:
“Money will stop being relevant at some point in the future.”
Peter Diamandis responded with a light remark, pointing out the irony of such a statement coming from someone approaching trillionaire status: “So just as you’re becoming a multi-trillionaire, money starts to have less value?”
Musk replied briefly, “Yeah, pretty much.”
What Musk envisions for the future economyMusk’s broader argument centers on what he describes as an “age of abundance,” driven by artificial intelligence. In this scenario, AI systems and robots would produce goods and services at such scale and efficiency that scarcity—one of the fundamental drivers of modern economics—would be significantly reduced.
Instead of traditional discussions around wages or minimum income, Musk suggests societies could transition toward what he calls Universal High Income (UHI), a system where individuals receive sufficient financial or credit-based support to maintain a high quality of life rather than merely meeting basic needs.
In such a framework, essentials like healthcare, housing, food, and other services could become far more accessible due to dramatically lower production costs and increased automation efficiency.
He has previously linked this vision to ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, and projects like Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, which he believes could play a major role in future productivity.
If money fades, what takes its place?
When asked indirectly about what might matter in a post-money world, Musk pointed toward a shift in what he considers real economic power. Rather than traditional currencies, he suggested that future systems—especially AI-driven ones—would prioritize physical constraints and resources.
“AI won’t use human currency. It will care about power and mass: wattage and tonnage,” he explained.
In simpler terms, Musk envisions a future where value is not defined by cash holdings but by control over energy, computation, manufacturing capacity, and raw materials. In such a world, access to electricity, data infrastructure, factories, and physical resources could matter far more than traditional financial wealth.
As Musk’s wealth approaches historic levels, his remarks have reignited global conversations about inequality, automation, and what the concept of money might look like in a deeply AI-driven future.