The book focuses on how automation would reduce job opportunities for people. Andrew Yang narrates how American society has become politically and culturally polarized due to the development of technology. Big corporations are employing fewer people because the rest of the work can be done through automation. According to Yang, the prevalence of automation will cost many people their jobs. Normal people usually work on sectors such as manufacturing, food service, administration, transportation, and retail. However, companies in these sectors opt to automate their work to keep up with the competition. Many companies are laying off their workers due to the advancement of technology.
People depend on labor for their salary. However, the companies have chosen automation because it produces effective results of labor compared to humans. For instance, companies like Tesla are on the course of substituting truck drivers with self-driving trucks. As such, so many people will be rendered jobless. Automation also threatens white-collar jobs. Nowadays, computers can read and diagnose radiology scans. Therefore, many medical practitioners are in the process of losing their jobs to machines. Yang proposes a universal basic income to mitigate impacts brought by automation.
Furthermore, Yang calls for the creation of more human-centered capitalism. A local digital currency needs to be established in the more underprivileged parts of the nation. People should focus on work that resists automation. The higher education system should be transformed and teach people about values. Automation has rendered many people jobless. As a result, the government needs to come up with policies that will ensure people are not losing jobs due to automation.
