Also, in a way, I believe that supports his argument. Why is it that the world's population has tripled since 1950? It's not just because people are having more sex. It's because of the changes in technology in the past 200 years. ie innovations in agricultural, healthcare, and energy production. [0]
While I won't argue that technology remained stagnant before that, I will argue that technological growth was very very slow. I would argue that many places in the world looked very similar at 400AD and 1400AD (in a technological sense). But in the past ~200 years, we've broken through whatever cultural barrier was holding us back technologically, and as such, the world is a vastly different place than it was 200 years ago.
I disagree at least in part with the article, jobs have always been replaced by machines (as well as globalization, which I don't have time to get into). But just as the technological pace of the world has quickened, so has the pace of job loss.
What is different is that at the "middle" of industrialization, it would be normal for someone to lose the job, but possibly find a new job, especially in the service industries. (And thus we have post-industrialization). However, what I would argue is happening now is that it becomes more and more difficult (especially with ever more specialization in jobs)to lose one job, and then quickly replace it with another job. That's one of the difference between then and now. As the parent posted, once the service industry jobs have been automated away, and then "creative" jobs, what then? "Post-Creative Jobs?" (Seriously, if anyone can answer this for me, please let me know.)
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_transition (note: a number of people argue that there is also a stage 6)
Hi, my name is sgnelson, I'm a post-creative. I need a job.