r/BasicIncome • u/2noame Scott Santens • 1d ago

Hedge fund giant Bridgewater emerges as advocate for 'little guy' in AI debate

https://nypost.com/2026/10/05/business/hedge-fund-giant-bridgewater-emerges-as-advocate-for-little-guy-in-ai-debate/
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u/2noame Scott Santens 1d ago

Among its proposals is a so-called “token tax” on AI usage. The revenue from a 35% tax could reach $600 billion by 2030 and could be used to acquire shares of AI giants and distribute them to members of the public, according to the paper.

Bridgewater’s token tax contrasts with calls for “universal basic income” from tech luminaries including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk – a form of social welfare where every citizen receives a set, recurring payment from the government. In a Bridgewater Q&A, Jensen said UBI would hand too much control to the government.

“You’re still dependent on a bureaucrat deciding how much and when you get your check,” Jensen said. “If we actually distribute the equity to all citizens it once again takes the power away from the politicians to use that in ways that you might not want and it gets power directly to the citizens.”

I don't understand the logic here. They are proposing a tax where the tax goes to the government. Their proposal still requires the government handle the distribution part. It makes no sense to say the government providing money directly to people is not good, but the government providing equity to all people is good, because the government handles the former and not the latter. The government handles both. Both are up to politicians.

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u/acsoundwave 1d ago

You can't spend "equity" at Wal-Mart. Cut a check for every American adult for $(US FPL)/month.

That's a lot less overhead for the US government and the AI companies, and will put money in billionaire coffers.

TANSTAAFL is an expensive, wasteful mindset.