Anthropic CEO Warns of AI Job Losses; Economist Counters with Victorian Bootmaker History
HarrySurden · x · 2026-08-06
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has warned that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, potentially driving unemployment to 10% or 20%. In his newsletter, economist Justin Wolfers offers a different perspective by drawing parallels to the introduction of sewing machines in Victorian bootmaking.
Historical research indicates that despite significantly boosting productivity, the advent of labor-saving sewing machines did not decimate the number of bootmakers. Instead, the technology transformed the nature of the work rather than reducing the workforce. Wolfers uses this historical precedent to suggest that outcomes like work transformation without massive job losses are quite plausible in the AI era.
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