During the Semafor World Economy 2026 summit, Zelnick commented on fears that AI will massively deprive people of jobs. According to him, if such scenarios are true, then Musk himself — a supporter of technology and one of the richest people — would be the first to lose his position to an algorithm.
Zelnick joked that with so many responsibilities across different companies, automating "Musk's role" would become AI's number one task.
The jokes did not end there. He added that Musk "may be a simulation." This is a reference to Musk's own popular theory that people live inside a computer program.
The head of Take-Two said that if one had to choose a person who looks as if he was created by a system to test the limits of human productivity, it would be the owner of Tesla and SpaceX. This was a response to Musk's ideas in which AI does everything for people, leaving them only to "plant vegetables."
Zelnick also spoke about the labor market, arguing against techno-pessimism. He recalled the example of Goldman Sachs: 90 years ago, people there worked with paper and pencils, and today, despite Excel and the development of AI, the number of employees has grown.
According to him, technology increases productivity, which leads to economic growth and the creation of new jobs.