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Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass

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By Jasmine Sun

Ms. Sun writes about A.I. and Silicon Valley culture on Substack.

April 30, 2026
Most people I know in the A.I. industry think the median person is screwed, and they have no idea what to do about it.

Whether you talk with engineers, venture capitalists, founders or managers, or with doomers, accelerationists, lefties or libertarians, the so-called San Francisco consensus on the impact of A.I. for workers is bleak. Many are convinced that advanced A.I. will soon surpass human capabilities. This would produce tremendous growth and scientific achievement, but it would also displace millions of jobs as fewer humans are needed to make the economy run. The technology will depress economic mobility and exacerbate inequality, while ferrying power and wealth to the A.I. companies and the existing owners of capital.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/opinion/ai-labor-work-force-silicon-valley.html?

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“but it would also displace millions of jobs as fewer humans are needed to make the economy run.”

The thinking behind this line right here is why we are doomed as a country. Fewer humans cannot make the economy run. Too many people have been led to believe the economy is the stock market. What too many fail to realize is that the stock market is based on intangible assets. The economy boils down to the buying and selling of goods, not numbers. Without humans that have actual tangible assets….there is no economy.

We went to see The Breadwinner with Nate Bargatze. I thought I might catch of glimpse of Glenn, @MrShrek in the background at the Cool Springs Toyota dealership, but no such luck. Cute movie, though.