Sam Altman Says If Jobs Gets Wiped Out, Maybe They Weren't Even "Real Work" to Start With
Futurism
Live interview with Rowan Cheung (The Rundown) at OpenAI DevDay 2025
“they very likely would look at what you do ... say, 'that's not real work.'”
Sam Altmanreported 12 October 2025- What you'll lose3/5
Your job may go, but maybe it never counted.
- Condescension5/5
'That's not real work.'
- Tone-deafness4/5
Said to people worried about their jobs.
- Doom1/5
Job losses, softened by a thought experiment.
- Hypocrisy0/5
None on record.
Full time13 pitchforksof a possible 25
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The occasion
Live interview with Rowan Cheung (The Rundown) at OpenAI DevDay 2025, reported 12 October 2025.
Context
Asked how AI will affect jobs, Altman picked up a thought experiment about a farmer from long ago who would not believe today's jobs, and said such a farmer would likely judge modern work not to be real work. He said this makes him a little less worried about job losses and more worried in some other ways.
Crowd reaction
Widespread criticism
TechRadar says the remarks 'sparked outrage online' and that critics say they dismiss vulnerable jobs; Futurism calls it a tangent and a 'mealy-mouthed' answer to the question of job destruction.
- Futurism: Sam Altman Says If Jobs Gets Wiped Out, Maybe They Weren’t Even “Real Work” to Start With
- eWeek: Sam Altman: Jobs in the Intelligence Era Are ‘Not Real Work’
- TechRadar: Worried about AI taking your job? Don't worry, Sam Altman says some disappearing roles were never ‘real work’ to begin with
- Where the exact words are printed