Tech investor Bill Gurley says AI doomers are ignoring a lesson from the Industrial Revolution
Bill Gurley, during the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in April 2026, in Phoenix. Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images Bill Gurley said AI job fears mirror the warnings of the Industrial Revolution. The tech investor says innovation has historically created prosperity, and he believes AI will too. As layoffs mount, economists and CEOs are increasingly challenging AI job-loss narratives. As the debate rages on about whether AI is eliminating jobs , Bill Gurley thinks many of today's fears echo a historical mistake. The longtime venture capitalist said on a recent episode of the "All-In Podcast" that warnings about AI destroying jobs look like concerns raised during the Industrial Revolution — concerns he said ultimately proved wrong. Gurley pointed to Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical, "Rerum Novarum," which warned that the Industrial Revolution and the rise of industrial capitalism could harm workers and widen social inequality. The comparison came as the hosts discusse...
