Moore's Law for Everything
Key ideas
Altman argues AI will shift power from labor to capital and make goods far cheaper, so policy should tax companies and land and give citizens ownership.
- 1
AI will shift power from labor to capital
Altman argues that software able to think and learn will take over more and more work, moving power away from labor. Without policy changes, he warns, most people could end up worse off.
- 2
Falling prices are the best route to wealth
He contends that societal wealth grows most when the cost of goods drops, and that AI can push labor-driven costs like housing, healthcare and education sharply down, much as chips got cheaper under Moore's Law.
- 3
Tax capital, not labor
Because AI will make labor less of the economic engine, Altman proposes shifting taxation onto companies and land, the assets he expects to hold most of the value.
- 4
An equity fund that makes everyone an owner
His conversation-starter is an American Equity Fund funded by a yearly 2.5% levy on large companies (paid in shares) and on private land, distributed to every adult so citizens share directly in national growth.
- 5
Design safeguards and phase it in
Altman lists guardrails: limits on voting up the tax, anti-offshoring tests, rules for private firms, land assessment, and a gradual ramp to full rates tied to GDP growth.
In Sam’s words
“Even more power will shift from labor to capital. If public policy doesn’t adapt accordingly, most people will end up worse off than they are today.”
Sam Altman·Moore's Law for Everything·Read in context(opens the original in a new tab)“Imagine a world where, for decades, everything–housing, education, food, clothing, etc.–became half as expensive every two years.”
Sam Altman·Moore's Law for Everything·Read in context(opens the original in a new tab)“The new social contract will be a floor for everyone in exchange for a ceiling for no one”
Sam Altman·Moore's Law for Everything·Read in context(opens the original in a new tab)Connected in lessons
About this entry
- Published
- Mar 16, 2021
- Publisher
- moores.samaltman.com
- Type
- Essay
- Language
- English
- Added
- Nov 1, 2026
- Source last checked
- Nov 1, 2026
Cover photo of Sam Altman, not from this work: Office of the Prime Minister of Japan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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