Hacker News Reader

We don't yet have UBI (and worse, countries are raising pension ages, which is the closest thing we currently have to a UBI) so everything everywhere being automated all at once is going to be messy.

Mass unemployment without adequate social safety net would be unfortunate.

Unfortunate in short term, but beneficial in long term.

How so?

It seems like masses of people locked out of any economic growth and with no perspective are a recipe for desaster if you ask me. That's the foundation on which unrest and rebellions are built and those are usually not pleasant affairs for most people.

I'm not saying that it will come to this.

If vast swathes of the population are thrown onto the scrapheap in a relatively short period of time it absolutely would come to that. The ruling class would be smashed (literally and figuratively) and you'll wake up in the morning to discover that our form of capitalism has ceased to exist.

Don't know which country is happily giving out redundant workers food, clothing and shelter for free

Unemployment —-> Crime —-> Police states —-> Societal collapse —-> Civil war like situation —-> Economy poof —-> Feudalism