Elon Musk Predicts Money Will Become Irrelevant; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Responds With a Reality Check

The global tech industry is once again split between bold futurism and grounded pragmatism. At the US-Saudi Investment Forum, Elon Musk made one of his most sweeping predictions yet: a future where work becomes optional and money itself disappears. But Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose company fuels the global AI boom, offered a far more measured take.

Musk’s Vision: A Post-Work, Post-Money Future

Speaking at the forum, Elon Musk claimed that accelerating improvements in AI and robotics could fundamentally rewrite the human experience.

According to Musk:

• Work will become a hobby, not a necessity.

• Humans will only work for fun — the way some people garden despite vegetables being available at the store.

• Money may lose all meaning as machines perform nearly all productive labor.

Musk described a world where robots and intelligent systems handle industry, logistics, and even creative work, leaving humans free to pursue leisure, passion projects, or nothing at all.

This comes days after Musk claimed his humanoid robot, Optimus, will “change humanity” within 20 years.

His broader message: AI will usher in an era of abundance where human effort is no longer required for survival.

Jensen Huang Pushes Back — Gently

While Nvidia’s Jensen Huang agrees that AI will transform everything, he does not envision the total collapse of work or economic systems.

Huang acknowledged:

• Most jobs will change, not disappear.

• AI will eliminate repetitive tasks but create new opportunities.

• Education, training, and creative work will all be reshaped — but not erased.

Still, Huang added a humorous jab:

“If the end of money is really coming, I’d like a heads-up.”

With Nvidia supplying chips to Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and even Musk’s own xAI, Huang has one of the clearest views of real-time AI development. And from his vantage point, the revolution is fast — but not that fast.

Is the AI Hype a Bubble? Experts Are Split

As Musk pushes utopian predictions, some leaders are urging caution.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently warned about “irrational excitement” around AI, comparing today’s hype to the early internet bubble.

Pichai said:

• Massive investment is normal during breakthroughs.

• Some of it is hype-driven and unsustainable.

• But long-term, AI will be as transformative as the internet.

The message: AI is real — but the frenzy around it isn’t always rational.

The Big Question: Will Money Really Become Irrelevant?

At present, experts agree on one thing: Musk’s idea of a post-money society is the most extreme long-term scenario. While AI is accelerating rapidly, economic systems evolve far more slowly.

A few realities stand out:

• AI is replacing tasks, not entire industries.

• Humans still control capital, resources, and governance.

• New job categories (AI trainers, prompt engineers, ethics auditors) continue to emerge.

Even if robots take over all physical labor someday, the world is decades away from restructuring society to the point where money disappears.

For now, Jensen Huang just wants to know before the world switches off the economy — and before robots decide they don’t need Nvidia chips anymore.