Amazon hopes to replace 600k US workers with robots

Credibility and Realism of the Plan

• Some see the “replace 600k workers” goal as typical large‑company cost cutting; the open question is whether it’s technically and economically realistic.
• Internal docs are treated with skepticism too: they may be aspirational or written to please bosses rather than reflect grounded forecasts.
• Comparisons are made to self‑driving car hype: this could be more PR and investor signaling than near‑term reality.

Robotics Approach and Technical Limits

• Many argue bipedal “humanoid” robots are unnecessary in warehouses; wheels and purpose‑built machines are more logical and already common.
• Others counter that general‑purpose robots are exactly what’s needed to replace remaining humans and handle messy, unconstrained tasks.
• There’s debate over whether general robots can ever be cheaper than “good enough” human labor, especially given human dexterity and edge cases.
• Some think Amazon will sidestep hard problems by standardizing “robot‑friendly” packaging and processes.

Job Quality, Amazon Practices, and Ethics

• Several commenters say Amazon warehouse work is abusive and dangerous (e.g., tornado incidents, “one and done” hiring bans), so replacing it could be good—if displaced workers have alternatives.
• Agriculture is mentioned similarly: back‑breaking, unhealthy work that should be automated.

Economic Impact and Distribution of Gains

• The cited figure of ~30 cents savings per item by 2027 is seen as both impressive optimization and disturbingly small relative to the human cost.
• Many assume those savings will accrue to shareholders, not consumers; “late‑stage capitalism” and “capital vs. labor” are recurring frames.
• Concern that robots “can’t unionize” and that owners of capital will capture nearly all benefits.

Future of Work, UBI, and Social Policy

• Standard “people move up the value chain” narratives are heavily questioned: training, aptitude, and job availability are limited, and past transitions often led to worse service work.
• Skeptics ask what new large‑scale job categories will absorb warehouse workers; no convincing answers emerge.
• UBI is frequently raised but viewed as politically unlikely in the US; some argue we’ll need either UBI, shorter work weeks, or face mass disenfranchisement.
• Others insist automation is inevitable and desirable; the real failure is lack of planning to share its gains and create dignified non‑automatable roles.