The $2 Robot Workday Is Coming. And History Says It Won’t Kill Your Job.

A 160-year-old economic paradox explains why a 96% drop in labor costs might create more work than it destroys.

$46.

Salary, payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement contributions — all of it. $46 for one hour, for one person, at one position. That number is the invisible price tag on almost everything you buy: every product on a supermarket shelf, every restaurant meal, every car, and every house.

As of March 2026, several companies are driving that number down…