Sam Altman of Y combinator who started large scale experiment of basic income talks about basic income

Startup specialized incubatorY CombinatorSam Altman highly appreciates the possibility of "basic income" and has started large-scale social experiments to ascertain how basic income works or not. Mr. Altman talks about basic income in Spectacle 's interview.

The Great American Share | Spectacle Magazine
https://spectacle.com/001/sam-altman-interview-universal-basic-income/

For Altman's Basic Income Experiment, you can easily understand by reading the following article.

"Y Combinator" is planning a large-scale experiment of "basic income" that can live without working - GIGAZINE


Mr. Altman unconditionally gives the minimum necessary for daily living, food, safety etc. to live human potential and to keep the United States in a competitive position in the world I think that is the key. Mr. Altman is steering the Y combinator of the startup specialized incubator, but it seems that the work of the Y combinator seems to lead to a basic income in a sense. In other words, in order to support entrepreneurs to fulfill their mission, funds may be provided for a certain period of time without any conditions, but this is due to the basic income that supports human activities with minimal financial support and That's why there are similar aspects.

ByTechCrunch

Q:
I am conducting social experiments on basic income in Auckland, USA.

Altman:
It is still a pilot program. It has become clear that it is difficult to pass money to people more than imagined. It is necessary to cooperate with the state, region, central government and so on so that social security of people participating in the experiment does not get worse. It is to avoid income increasing by giving money and becoming out of application of food aid program.

Q:
How big is it?

Altman:
Dozens of households receive monthly money from 1000 dollars (about 110,000 yen) to 2000 dollars (about 220,000 yen).

Q:
How did you choose subjects?

Altman:
It is random. The computer program chose them.

Q:
Who did not accept money?

Altman:
As far as I know, no one has accepted it.

Q:
Have you met subjects?

Altman:
I have not met anyone. I keep a distance. I clearly have a bias (biased thinking) that "basic income is a good idea", so I do not want to give bias to the results so that even if I get results that the basic income is bad, .

Q:
In the experiment of "basic income", what is the question you are exploring?

Altman:
What I'm interested in is the question, "How do humans maximize their potential potential?" I feel that resources (resources) are incredibly unevenly distributed. It is clear that there are many people who can do wonderful things for all of us all over the world. Making art and starting a business. But they can not do that. Fifty years later, the future that the human being can not eat or have a place to sleep, is moved by fears for an abominable boss, and the fact that he does not do what he really hopes is not stupid I guess.

I think that the Y combinator is a good example of providing something like a basic income to help people pursue what they should do. If you did not receive "basic income" from Y combinator, Airbnb and Reddit would not exist in this world. Looking back on myself, my company invested $ 12,000 (about 1.3 million yen) through the Y Combinator Program. We spent that money to live. Buy a server, advance a project. But most of it was to live. Many people funded from the Y combinator. Some people have failed completely. However, some people created a company that could never have started without money being given.

Q:
Certainly the Y combinator is a wonderful example. However, many people are worried that most money will be wasted if you give money to anyone.

Altman:
Even if a million people waste money, it is OK if one of them makes Apple.

Bymac_filko

When a robot appears, people change a lot of jobs and cause employment to be lost, but people forget that "the cost of goods and services go down."

I feel that many people have no purpose, I am unhappy when the unemployment rate is 4%. I do not think that traditional occupation will be a solution to these problems. The definition of work always changes. In the past 100 years, the pace at which technology loses employment is consistent, with about 50% of jobs changing every 75 years. People who have been doing self-sufficiency living thousands of years ago will surely laugh about what we call "work" now.

Q:
I think that the definition of what something is happy is changing. I see the definition of marriage and relationships.

Altman:
Indeed it is. Built in the suburbsMcMansionIt has become clear that most people do not make people happy. Of course I know some people like it.


Because there is a strong desire for human beings to be superior to others, we try to win the "game" in various ways. We think that father and his friends are absurd about wanting McMansion. I think that they are ridiculous to care about how much "nice" will get on Facebook photos. Scholars feel that Wall Street traders are absurd to make money, and Wall Street traders feel absurd that scholars compete for citation papers. People find things that can compete and differentiate. It does not have to be all the same game.

Q:
Basic income is sort of "right" that you should understand the necessity for a better society.

Altman:
Since humans prefer conservative, known things and fear big changes, it is really hard to realize a major change in social contracts. The battle for seeking rights is obvious whenever I look back, but it is really difficult when I am looking for it.

Q:
Once you receive it, you will begin to say, "How was I living without this?"

Altman:
"I can never take away this right from me."

Q:
Will not it start coming from smaller changes? There is no need to be at the urban level, you start with the country.

Altman:
Certainly. I think that I will start gradually. In the way we do it. Children understand basic income. The children ask the parents, "Why are homeless people no bedding? Are not enough food?", But this seems to be fundamentally a mistake. We are generations that we have not taught in a certain way. However, I think that the transition of generations is taking place here. It will be a big fight. Some people will be angry. There will be some people who looks like the end of America.


Q:
People have talked about the end of America since America began.

Altman:
I think that there is a feeling that something is lost. We are the children at the end of the "American Century". I grew up in a culture with the belief that America dominates the world forever. This resulted in American exceptionism and optimism. Now, growing up and becoming an adult, it is clearly not the truth. There is a big way of thinking change. The fact that most young people in their 20s believe that their lives are worse than those of their parents is a big change in thinking. I think that this is a quite different new idea and it is rather bad.

Q:
But that way of thinking depends on the way we define "better things".

Altman:
It is quite true. In other words, the way to solve the problem is "always rebuild".