Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently issued a stern warning about the U.S. debt problem in a podcast interview.It is clearly stated that without the support of AI and robotics technology, the United States will 1000% go bankrupt and fall into decline.Musk said,"There is no other way to solve the national debt problem. We need enough time to deploy AI and robots to avoid going bankrupt before then."
During the interview, a questioner questioned why Musk continued to drastically cut spending when he was the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) since he believed that technology can promote economic growth and reduce debt burdens. Musk responded that the move stemmed from his concerns about waste and fraud within the government.
Musk said bluntly,The U.S. national debt is soaring crazily. The current debt scale has reached 38.5 trillion U.S. dollars. The annual interest payments even exceed the U.S. military budget and are also higher than the expenditures on social security programs such as Federal Medicare.
"Without artificial intelligence and robotics, we would really be screwed. "He emphasized that this is the only way to solve the US debt problem, and there is no other way.
Talking about his experience in DOGE, Musk said that his original intention was to slow down the unsustainable fiscal trend of the United States, buy enough time for AI and robotics technology to drive economic growth, and prevent the United States from falling into bankruptcy before the technology deployment is completed.
In fact, Musk made similar remarks in November last year, saying that large-scale deployment of AI and robotics is the only way to resolve the U.S. debt crisis. He also reminded that these technologies may cause severe deflation by promoting a substantial increase in the output of goods and services.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, has also previously issued a warning about U.S. debt, believing that the United States is heading toward a "debt death spiral," in which the government has to continue to borrow money to pay debt interest, forming a self-reinforcing vicious cycle.
But unlike Musk, Dalio believes that the United States will not go bankrupt, and the central bank will avoid default by printing money to buy bonds, which will lead to a rapid depreciation of the dollar.
The shrinking purchasing power of the U.S. dollar is obvious. According to data from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, the purchasing power of $100 in 2025 is only equivalent to $12.06 in 1970. Musk has also warned that if the current trend of debt growth continues, "the dollar will become worthless."
