

Automation has always been about de-skilling to cheaper, more abuse-able labour, and not about actually eliminating work. This goes all the way back to the broad looms and the luddites. There were still loom workers in the new factories - its just that they were children who could be worked to death for pennies.


Generally speaking, the consumer market has been entirely eclipsed by business to business sales. The only entities with expendable cash are businesses.