AI Researcher’s Bold Vision: Startup Aims to Replace All Human Workers

AI Startup Mechanize, a controversial new startup that has emerged in Silicon Valley. Renowned AI researcher Tamay Besiroglu launched Mechanize on April 18, 2025. Its mission? Replace all human workers with AI agents.

The Ambitious Vision

Besiroglu announced Mechanize through a post on X. The startup isn’t building AI agents directly. Instead, it’s creating the infrastructure layer. This includes virtual work environments, benchmarks, and training data.

“Mechanize will build virtual work environments, benchmarks, and training data to enable the full automation of all work,” wrote Besiroglu.

The scale of this ambition is staggering. Besiroglu calculated the company’s market potential by adding up all human wages. In the US alone, this amounts to $18 trillion annually. Worldwide, the figure balloons to approximately $60 trillion.

“The market potential here is absurdly large,” he noted.

For now, Mechanize is targeting white-collar jobs. These are roles that involve typing, data analysis, and digital communication. Physical labor requiring robots will come later.

High-Profile Backers

Despite its controversial mission, Mechanize has attracted impressive investors. The list includes former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison. Other backers include tech podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, Jeff Dean, Sholto Douglas, and Marcus Abramovitch.

Abramovitch confirmed his investment to TechCrunch. He praised the team’s exceptional capabilities. “They have thought deeper on AI than anyone I know,” he stated.

This high-level support suggests many tech leaders see Mechanize’s vision as achievable. They also likely view it as potentially profitable.

Technical Hurdles

Current AI agents have major limitations. They’re unreliable and forgetful. They struggle with complex tasks and long-term planning. They often “go off the rails” during execution.

Mechanize aims to solve these problems. The company will develop comprehensive simulated environments. These will capture the full range of human work activities. This includes computer use, complex task completion, and team coordination.

The company believes everyday labor tasks hold the most value. Their focus isn’t on creating superintelligent AI. They want practical tools that reliably perform ordinary work.

Economic Promises and Concerns

Besiroglu paints an optimistic economic picture. He claims automation will create “vast abundance” and higher living standards. He believes it will generate new goods and services “we can’t even imagine today.”

But how would people earn a living? Besiroglu offers several possibilities. He suggests remaining human workers might earn more in “complementary roles.” These would be jobs AI cannot perform.

He also points to alternative income sources. “Economic well-being isn’t solely determined by wages,” he explained. “People typically receive income from rents, dividends, and government welfare.”

This vision represents a dramatic shift. It moves us away from today’s wage-based economy. Instead, people might live off investments, property, or government support.

Widespread Criticism

The announcement sparked intense backlash. Critics questioned both the feasibility and desirability of full automation.

X user Anthony Aguirre expressed disappointment. “The automation of most human labor is indeed a giant prize for companies,” “I think it will be a huge loss for most humans.” he wrote.

The controversy extends beyond Mechanize’s mission. It raises questions about Besiroglu’s other organization, Epoch. This non-profit researches AI’s economic impact. It also produces AI performance benchmarks.

Critics worry about conflicts of interest. They question whether Epoch can remain impartial. X user Oliver Habryka voiced this concern directly to Besiroglu. “This seems like confirmation that Epoch research was directly feeding into frontier capability work,” he wrote.

Even within Epoch, tensions are evident. A director posted about facing a “comms crisis” following Mechanize’s launch.

The Broader Context

Mechanize represents an acceleration of existing trends. Major tech companies are already developing AI agent platforms. Microsoft, Salesforce, and OpenAI lead this charge.

Numerous startups focus on specialized AI agents. These target specific tasks like sales, financial analysis, and data processing. Mechanize stands out for its comprehensive vision. Its explicit goal is total workforce automation.

The timing is significant. AI capabilities are advancing rapidly. Yet they still face substantial limitations. Mechanize aims to overcome these exact challenges.

Looking Forward

Many questions remain unanswered. Can AI truly replicate all human workplace capabilities? How would a transition to full automation actually work? Who would benefit most from such a transformation?

Besiroglu’s economic vision raises profound questions. These touch on wealth distribution, social purpose, and human fulfillment.

Mechanize is currently in its early stages. It’s focusing on white-collar work and infrastructure development. The company is actively hiring new talent.

Whether Mechanize represents a utopian future or a dystopian threat remains unclear. By targeting all human jobs, it forces a crucial conversation. This is a discussion many in tech have avoided.

The launch of Mechanize highlights a critical crossroads. The decisions we make about AI development today will shape our economic future for generations.

Sources

• TechCrunch: Famed AI researcher launches controversial startup to replace all human workers everywhere
• Fudzilla: Mechanize thinks you’re surplus to economic requirements
• FrontBackGeek: Mechanize: The AI Startup That Wants to Replace Human Jobs
• NewsBytes: This start-up wants to replace all human workers with AI
• The Hans India: ‘Mechanize’ claims ‘full automation’ of economy as AI threatens millions of jobs