Vinod Khosla thinks 80% of jobs could vanish by 2030: that ‘fear of AI’ puts politics in a chokehold

Billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, in an interview with Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell, warned that 80% of jobs could become AI-capable by 2030, leading to significant job dislocation. Khosla, who also spoke at the Hill & Valley Forum, stated his belief that "fear of AI" will be the single biggest issue in the 2028 presidential election, urging a focus on AI's benefits and structural solutions to economic disruption. Khosla exemplified the political impact of AI at the state level, noting a bill in the New York State legislature that seeks to ban AI from providing medical or legal advice. More directly related to infrastructure, he highlighted Florida's recent passage of a bill requiring data center companies to cover their own utility costs and New York lawmakers' ongoing consideration of a moratorium on new data center permits. These legislative actions are emerging amid public concerns over affordability and rising energy costs. Conversely, Khosla encouraged a shift from fearing AI to embracing its potential, suggesting applications like a free, AI-powered doctor with superior expertise. He also reiterated a controversial idea to reform the tax code by 2030, proposing to eliminate income tax for individuals earning less than $100,000 annually by equalizing capital gains and ordinary income taxes, arguing that AI will favor capital over labor. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, Khosla's co-panelist, acknowledged the need to deploy AI tools to the public, particularly in health, with appropriate privacy protections, though she expressed hesitation about immediate tax code restructuring. Cantwell also voiced support for a "tech NATO"—an alliance of major democracies and technology-leading countries to establish standardized principles for AI adoption and counter nations that might integrate security backdoors into their technology.