In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded and crashed down to Earth less than two minutes after takeoff. The cause of that crash, it turned out, was an inexpensive rubber O-ring in the booster rocket that had frozen on the… — David Autor Copy Share Image
The average worker in 2015 wanting to attain the average living standard in 1915 could do so by working just 17 weeks a year,… — David Autor Copy Share Image
I did software development for a while, and I also spent several years directing a nonprofit in San Francisco that did computer education for… — David Autor Copy Share Image
China's rise is really a kind of a world historical event. This is the largest country in the world. It has caused a wholesale… — David Autor Copy Share Image
Computers were programmed to swap out error-prone, inconsistent human calculation with digital perfection. — David Autor Copy Share Image
The end of the 'tech bubble' in the year 2000 is, of course, widely recognized, as the NASDAQ stock index erased three-quarters of its… — David Autor Copy Share Image
The U.S. tends to export high-tech goods because we have strong comparative advantage there, and we tend to import labor-intensive and less skill-intensive goods… — David Autor Copy Share Image
If I lose my job at a furniture factory where I've worked for decades, no amount of cheaper toys and raincoats at Wal-Mart is… — David Autor Copy Share Image
I'm not yet convinced that we will face an unemployment problem created by AI. There will certainly be some occupations eliminated - drivers of… — David Autor Copy Share Image
Work is what structures adults' lives: it gives us purpose, focus, a set of responsibilities, and an identity. So when people are not participating… — David Autor Copy Share Image
Economists have understood since the Victorian era that the main benefits of trade come from comparative advantage: the idea that people can specialize in… — David Autor Copy Share Image
Here's a startling fact: in the 45 years since the introduction of the automated teller machine, those vending machines that dispense cash, the number… — David Autor Copy Share Image
Workers and jobs are naturally heterogeneous, and the quality of their interaction when paired is difficult to forecast. — David Autor Copy Share Image
