Luddites Were Wrong About the Labor Market but Right About Their Own Jobs
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-10-20
A 10-part thread reflects on mathematicians' reactions to rapid AI advances and draws on the history of technological change: progress has always been deeply personal — looms fell silent, switchboards went dark, factory lines shrank, each bringing an identity crisis over what it means to master a craft. Rewriter Ernest Tedeschi distills the uncomfortable conclusion: history rhymes, and the Luddites and elevator operators were wrong about the long-run labor market but right about their own jobs.
Related event: Mathematicians' anxiety over AI echoes historical tech displacement(2 posts)→
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