The Future of Wealth Is Changing—Elon Musk Explains How AI Will Create the Next Generation of Billionaires

The future of wealth may no longer belong to traditional industries, according to Elon Musk.

In a wide-ranging conversation on the 'People by WTF' podcast, Musk argued that artificial intelligence and robotics will fundamentally rewrite the global economic order, creating a new class of billionaires who control the infrastructure behind AI.

Rather than oil, finance or software, the next decade's fortunes will flow from three pillars: chips, AI platforms, and the 'entrances' people use to interact with intelligent systems.

Musk predicts a world where labour becomes optional, currency evolves, and value consolidates around those who shape how humans access AI. It is a future filled with opportunity — and profound risks of inequality.

Musk's Three Pillars of Future Wealth: Chips, Platforms, Entrances

Musk said that computing chips remain the backbone of the AI economy, with companies like NVIDIA dominating supply. But he stressed on the podcast that hardware alone 'isn't enough.'
The real long-term value, he argued, will accrue to:

• AI platforms that transform raw compute into services
• Infrastructure enabling automation, workflows and task execution
• User-facing systems that serve as the 'entrance' into the AI world

In Musk's analysis, whoever controls these entrances — from digital assistants to communication hubs — will control the flow of user attention, data, spending and behaviour.

This logic mirrors the platform power of companies like Google, whose search gateway defined an entire era of online economics.

Work May Become Optional, And Wealth More Concentrated

Musk painted a picture of a future where labour becomes optional. In a scenario where AI and robotics handle the bulk of work, people could choose whether to work, much as they choose a hobby rather than a necessity.

In parallel, he suggested that traditional currency could become less relevant. As AI-driven productivity surges and essentials become automated and abundant, value might instead be measured in terms of energy or access to resources.

Under these conditions, those who control the AI infrastructure, from chips to platforms to portals, stand to become disproportionately wealthy. The concentration effect could be more substantial than in previous tech booms, because control over 'the entrance' means control over everything the user touches, uses or spends.

Why This Could Create the Next Generation of Billionaires

Musk singled out NVIDIA and Google as early beneficiaries, given their dominance in providing computing power and building AI ecosystems, but he was clear that the real long‑term winners will be those who can embed AI into everyday life, controlling the interfaces people use.

In practice, this means companies that:

• Combine robust infrastructure (GPUs/chips) with software platforms for AI services.
• Build systems that go beyond Q&A, enabling execution of complex tasks, automations, and workflows.
• Own the 'entrance'—the front end where users interact with AI (social platforms, communication hubs, utilities, etc).

Such firms will command not just revenue from hardware or compute, but from user attention, data, ongoing services, and thus may see wealth compound rapidly.

In short: the next wave of wealth will likely belong to those who master not just AI, but user behaviour, convenience, and everyday life.

A Word of Caution: Not Everyone Becomes a Winner

This future is not guaranteed for all. As critics explain, a structural shift toward AI‑driven value creation also carries risks of extreme inequality and economic disruption.

Moreover, while Musk's vision reflects the optimism of industry leaders, historical patterns suggest that technological leapfrogging tends to concentrate wealth. Unless regulatory, ethical or redistributive mechanisms are put in place, the wealth creation could disproportionately benefit a small number of individuals or firms.

The New Reality: Adapt or Be Left Behind

Musk's argument emphasises that AI fundamentally restructures how value is generated, distributed, and stored. For entrepreneurs, investors, or entire nations, the lesson seems clear: to stay relevant, focus not just on building tech, but on building platforms, systems and user‑facing 'entrances' that can capture the full value of AI.

Those who do so may well become the next generation of billionaires. Those who don't risk becoming obsolete in a world where work is optional, but access to AI value is everything.