'Work will be optional': Elon Musk predicts future of employment

Business Nov 25, 2025

Elon Musk thinks that in about 10 to 20 years, most people might only work if they want to—not because they have to.
Thanks to big leaps in robotics and automation, he imagines a future where jobs become more like hobbies, similar to gardening just for fun.

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Musk says this shift could totally change how we think about purpose and money. As machines take over everyday work, society may need to rethink its economic systems.
He even points to sci-fi worlds like Iain M. Banks's Culture series—where super-smart AI runs things and money isn't really a thing anymore—as inspiration for what our future could look like.