Elon Musk Says Money Might 'Not Even Matter' but Tells Gen Z to Study Widely for AI

Elon Musk says money might 'not even matter' in a future shaped by artificial intelligence and humanoid robots, while urging young people to study broadly across the arts, sciences and engineering.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Media Group released on Sept. 25, 2026, in which he described a possible future of widespread abundance driven by automation.

Musk has made similar predictions before, but this time he linked the potential economic transformation directly to education.

His argument was that, as machines become more capable, broad knowledge will help people formulate the right questions and communicate what they want robots to do.

Musk Predicts an Economy of Abundance

Musk told China Media Group that he expects 'effectively universal high income' and added, 'In fact, it's not clear to me that money will even matter in the future.'

He argued that if the output of goods and services vastly exceeds what humans can consume, the result could be an 'age of abundance' in which traditional economic constraints become less significant.

Musk has said humanoid robots could eventually handle tasks ranging from childcare and teaching to caring for older people. He also described a future in which robots could complete highly complex personal requests.

'I think it's going to get pretty wild, like where if you want a castle, robots will build you a castle,' he said.

Tesla's Optimus programme is central to the company's ambitions for humanoid robots. Musk's 2025 compensation package includes a target for Tesla to deliver 1 million robots to consumers within 10 years.

Separately, Musk has predicted that there could be at least 1 billion humanoid robots worldwide within a decade. That figure is a forecast about the potential global number of robots, not Tesla's own production target.

Recent reporting has identified manufacturing problems involving Optimus' hands, factory equipment and suppliers as Tesla works to scale production. Tesla has also previously shifted its timeline for Optimus, according to reporting on the programme.

Musk's projections remain forecasts rather than confirmed outcomes. Tesla has disclosed plans to begin production of its next-generation Optimus design before the end of 2026, but the eventual scale and pace of deployment remain uncertain.

The more immediate question is whether Tesla can move from limited production to reliable, large-scale deployment.

Why Musk Favours Broad Study

While the robot future may be years away, Musk's advice for young people was immediate, avoid specialising too narrowly too early.

'My recommendation for education would be to get as broad-based education as possible, that includes arts and sciences, engineering, wide-general knowledge,' he said, drawing on his own undergraduate studies in physics and business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Musk said broad knowledge would help people formulate requests for machines. He described that ability as a form of 'prompt engineering' in a physical world, where people would need to communicate their wishes to robots.

He also suggested that demand for clear human instruction could grow as AI systems become more capable.

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark, a literature graduate, has similarly argued that education spanning different fields and emphasising analytical thinking could become increasingly valuable as AI handles more routine technical work.

Clark has also cautioned young people against relying on basic or rote programming skills alone.

Jaime Teevan, Microsoft's chief scientist and technical fellow, has made a similar case for skills associated with broad learning. Speaking to reporters, she highlighted flexibility, adaptability, experimentation and critical thinking as important abilities in an AI-driven workplace.

Taken together, the comments reflect a broader argument that judgment, context and communication could become more valuable as AI takes on more technical tasks. Musk's recommendation favours broader knowledge across disciplines, rather than early specialisation in a single field.

The value of broad learning, however, may not be immediately apparent to students choosing a field of study. If AI and robotics develop along the trajectory Musk predicts, the ability to formulate precise requests could become increasingly important, even as the economic role of money remains an open question.