# 3 years. 19 drafts. 180,000 words. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wVlcG8mfi4 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/2wVlcG8mfi4 Generated: 2026-03-17T15:45:45.023+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The creator announced the completion of their 180,000-word book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," which explores economics after the advent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), and they are launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund its production across paperback, hardcover, audiobook, and digital formats, aiming for a July launch. **Key Points:** - The author completed the 180,000-word book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," written over three years. - The book discusses post-AGI economics, focusing on how the economy will function once AI can automate most cognitive and physical labor. - The creator delivered a talk at Clemson University where students were more concerned about job prospects than AI alignment/safety. - The core economic premise is that wages will eventually approach zero due to labor substitution by AI and robotics, shifting income reliance to transfers and capital. - The author is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the book in multiple formats (paperback, hardcover, audiobook, digital). - The Kickstarter's success is deemed critical for building consensus around the post-labor movement, targeting voters, politicians, and tech leaders. - The goal for the Kickstarter launch is tentatively set for July, with the author asking the audience to support the campaign to ensure its success. ![Screenshot at 00:09: The creator introduces their book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," which is the central topic of the video, announcing that it is now finished and available for funding via Kickstarter.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/2wVlcG8mfi4/00-00-09.jpg) **Context:** The video serves as an update from the creator regarding the completion of their book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," which details the economic structure anticipated after the widespread adoption of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) renders most human labor obsolete. The speaker explains that the book's central argument stems from observing historical economic shifts, where one dominant sector (primary, secondary, tertiary) eventually gives way to another, implying that the tertiary (service) sector will decline as AI takes over cognitive tasks, necessitating a focus on capital-based income. ## Detailed Analysis The creator announces the completion of their book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," a project spanning three years and 180,000 words, focused on post-AGI economics. The impetus for the book came from a talk at Clemson University where students were primarily concerned with job security rather than AI alignment. The core thesis is that, following historical economic patterns where the primary sector gave way to the secondary, and then the secondary to the tertiary (service) sector, the tertiary sector will now decline as AI automates cognitive labor, rendering wages unsustainable as a primary source of household income. The speaker emphasizes that the key intuition is that wages will approach zero, forcing reliance on transfers and capital. To fund the final production (paperback, hardcover, audiobook, digital), the creator is launching a Kickstarter campaign, which they view as crucial for building consensus around the Labor/Zero movement among the general public, politicians, and industry leaders. The goal is to make the book a viral success to ensure the ideas gain traction before the economic shift fully materializes. ### Book Completion and Context - The book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," is finished after three years and 19 drafts (180,000 words); the idea originated from an event at Clemson University where students focused on job security rather than AI safety (00:18, 02:19). ### Post-Labor Economics Core - The main premise is that human labor input will decouple from economic output, leading to wages going to zero, necessitating an economic structure reliant on transfers and capital (11:11, 11:35). ### Household Income Buckets - Household income is divided into three buckets: Wages (selling time, vulnerable to substitution), Transfers (government assistance, safety floor), and Capital (productive ownership, market-based growth) (10:19, 10:36). ### Historical Economic Phases - Society has progressed from Primary Sector Dominance (Ancient Times - 1700s) to Secondary Sector Dominance (1700s - 1900s) to Tertiary Sector Dominance (Mid-1900s - Today), implying the tertiary sector will eventually decline (08:33). ### Kickstarter and Call to Action - The creator is using Kickstarter to fund the book's production (paperback, hardcover, audio, digital) and asks the audience (co-creators) to help boost the signal by backing the campaign and sharing the link widely to build consensus (12:45, 13:14, 14:47). ![Screenshot at 00:09: The creator holds up the cover of their newly completed book, "Labor/Zero: A Post-Labor Economics Treatise," which details economic theory for a post-AGI world.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/2wVlcG8mfi4/00-00-09.jpg) ![Screenshot at 08:33: A slide illustrating the Historical Economic Phases, showing the shift from Primary Sector Dominance to Secondary, and currently Tertiary Sector Dominance, setting up the argument for the next phase.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/2wVlcG8mfi4/00-08-33.jpg) ![Screenshot at 10:19: A graphic breaking down the three buckets of household income in a post-labor economy: Wages, Transfers, and Capital, showing that wages are most vulnerable to automation \(09:51\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/2wVlcG8mfi4/00-10-19.jpg) ![Screenshot at 12:45: A screen capture of the "Labor/Zero" Kickstarter page, which is launching soon, showing the call to action for supporters to sign up for launch notifications.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/2wVlcG8mfi4/00-12-45.jpg)