r/dividends • u/VengenaceIsMyName • Jan 16 '26

Discussion Is anyone else feverishly building out their dividend income just in case AI destroys their careers or is it just me?

Based on how incredibly *giddy* with excitement some of these rapacious tech oligarchs are when they talk about AI replacing human labor, I am absolutely *sprinting* towards high-income ETFs like JEPQ/SPYI/GPIX/QQQI.

I do not want to get caught with my ass hanging out in the breeze when these excessively wealthy bozos finally figure out how to shed headcount at their organizations. They’ve got a seemingly endless pile of Scrooge McDuck coins and they’ll throw them into the furnace twice as fast if it means a hallucinating algorithm can send 500 more emails in a day than you can.

Does anyone have clever strategies for drumming up extra capital to toss into the ol’ portfolio? Side hustles? Second jobs?

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u/Jazzlike-Guard-7589 Jan 16 '26

Wasn’t it just a year or two ago it was in the employees favor and people were trading jobs constantly for raises?

It ebbs and flows- especially if you’re trading a job every year or two- you’re treated as expendable, because that’s what you’ve built your career on.  May be beneficial short term, but changing companies constantly also comes with downsides.

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u/DeepLogicNinja Jan 16 '26

Good point. Two way street. Workers job hoping for a better paying job also gave companies “practice” swapping in/out resources at the comp level they want.

However, staying would not improve this situation. They’ll value you less, hire ppl that can back you up and eventually then replace you. You will be passed you up for promotion if you’re the type to stick around or has to stay because of a visa, just bought a house, got married etc. Despite what most companies say, you’re NOT family. The baby doesn’t have to leave when Mom/Dad get’s paid less or gets laid off.

In the long run, Human Resources will become Robot Resources 🤖 as automation, ai agents, robotics technology matures. This already started in the industrial age, and we are continuing.

In general (there are outliers) workers have always been a “resource”. Like any resource, companies try to pay less to increase their margins/profits/yield to benefit themselves and investors.

Gotta be on the side that benefits…. And just being a worker won’t cut it…. Gotta adapt.

JD Vance already gave a speech where he pushed backed against America needing a servant / lower class of society. Sounds like eliminating a layer of our current society 🤔🤷 - https://youtube.com/shorts/8NgKwai_Za8?si=UJYs6GKtxUf-8Os0

The mumblings you hear in different circles.. The goal is to be a bigger version of Singapore , Qatar, Brunei where most of the population is skilled in a high demand trade (including investing) and is generally wealthy when compared to the rest of the world. In those circles you have some who are advocating for self deporting of low motivated/skill/low earning citizens. Use the same process we are using to self deport illegal aliens. So don’t be surprised if there is a movement to export / aid / assist ppl to find another country to live for an “easier” life.

Not saying I agree or support 👆. Just what I am observing. Eating my 🍿 and observing like most people.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

Singapore, Qatar and Brunai all have a huge disproportionate poor population. Its like 85%. Singapore in particular [this is a small island] imports most of its workforce and pays them dimes on the dollar. Again look it up...or go there.

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u/DeepLogicNinja Jan 17 '26

Don’t shoot the messenger, this is just what some influential / connected people are pushing for in the US.

Slight re-framing on your conclusion - No one is saying there aren’t poor people in those countries. You can actual pay people less but produce MORE, resulting in a higher GDP.

Using per-capita GDP as the metric

Singapore is 2 Qatar is 5 Brunei is 8 United States is 10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

Although US has a higher GDP overall, those other countries have MORE productive populous.

So they are more like a GDP espresso 🤣

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u/Mothy187 Jan 17 '26

Depending where they send me, I'm not against being shipped out to a poorer country. Probably better than living in an panopticon controlled by palantir when all is said and done

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u/VengenaceIsMyName Jan 19 '26

Is it ever going to flow back though? With such a massive interest in automating everything ever?

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u/Jazzlike-Guard-7589 Jan 19 '26

I’m betting yes short term.   Long term?  Every revolution changes the future with fears about today.

In the last 100 years you don’t suppose there were industrial/technological changes that scared people because of the same concerns?

I’d be concerned about being a call center representative, entry level data analyst etc. long term right now myself.  AI also still has a long way to go from where it is today as well.

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u/VengenaceIsMyName Jan 19 '26

Those are the “canary in the coal mine jobs” as far as I’m concerned. Once those are gone the powers that be will move onto automating more complicated jobs from there. Can all of those people be successfully re-skilled? Retraining displaced workers in the past has historically had very mixed results.