--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You’re either the one that creates the…" description: "\"You’re either the one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated.\" — Tom Preston-Werner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png" --- # You’re either the one that creates the automation or… ![“You’re either the one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated.” quote by Tom Preston-Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png) > “You’re either the one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated.” [Tom Preston-Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-preston-werner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. You must either build automation or be replaced by it. **In simple terms:** Create automation or be automated. Key Takeaway Embrace tech creation. Themes technology automation agency Mood pragmatic forward‑looking Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - business strategy - career planning - software development Key Concepts future of work innovation Questions to Reflect On - What automation can you develop now? - How will you stay relevant as tech evolves? A Different Perspective Automation can also create new vulnerabilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Automated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automated-640072/) [Automation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automation/) [Automation Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automation-getting-3618989/) [Creates Automation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creates-automation-3618988/) [Getting Automated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-automated-3618987/) [Robotics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robotics/) ## Related quotes > [“Paradox of Automation: the more efficient the Automated system, the more crucial the contribution of the human operators of that system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-kaufman/paradox-of-automation-the-more-efficient-the-automated-system-the/) [Josh Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-kaufman/) > [So you will see us continue to advance the state of the art or take information that we have in our response data bases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-thompson/so-you-will-see-us-continue-to-advance-the-state-of-the-art-or-take/) [John W. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-thompson/) > [“Automation is a force multiplier, not a panacea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-beyer/automation-is-a-force-multiplier-not-a-panacea/) [Betsy Beyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-beyer/) > [As a technologist, I see the trends, and I see that automation inevitably is going to mean fewer and fewer jobs. And if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-technologist-i-see-the-trends-and-i-see-that-automation/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“We have such high levels of automation and we still wonder why we are suffering. We walk around in our robotic states and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mateo-tabatabai/we-have-such-high-levels-of-automation-and-we-still-wonder-why-we-are/) [Mateo Tabatabai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mateo-tabatabai/) > [When I think about strong innovations in term of automation, robotics, cognitive computing, and artificial intelligence, they are coming a lot from the Philippines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-nanterme/when-i-think-about-strong-innovations-in-term-of-automation-robotics/) [Pierre Nanterme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-nanterme/) > [Automation is no longer just a problem for those working in manufacturing. Physical labor was replaced by robots; mental labor is going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/automation-is-no-longer-just-a-problem-for-those-working-in/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [An organised system of machines, to which motion is communicated by the transmitting mechanism from a central automation, is the most developed form of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/an-organised-system-of-machines-to-which-motion-is-communicated-by/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [As technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/as-technology-advances-it-reverses-the-characteristics-of-every/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [In the early days at Asymetrix, we were focusing on business automation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-the-early-days-at-asymetrix-we-were-focusing-on-business-automation/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [Automation is going to cause unemployment, and we need to prepare for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/automation-is-going-to-cause-unemployment-and-we-need-to-prepare-for/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing stealing far more gigs than automation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/to-be-sure-robotics-are-not-the-only-job-killers-out-there-with/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [And a revolution of automation finds machines replacing men in the mines and mills of America, without replacing their incomes or their training or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-a-revolution-of-automation-finds-machines-replacing-men-in-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Automation is cost cutting by tightening the corners and not cutting them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haresh-sippy/automation-is-cost-cutting-by-tightening-the-corners-and-not-cutting/) [Haresh Sippy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haresh-sippy/) > [I think the automation of vision is a much bigger deal than the invention of perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-think-the-automation-of-vision-is-a-much-bigger-deal-than-the/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) ## More by Tom Preston-Werner > [Bootstrapping is a way to do something about the problems you have without letting someone else give you permission to do them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-preston-werner/bootstrapping-is-a-way-to-do-something-about-the-problems-you-have/) [Tom Preston-Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-preston-werner/) > [When I'm old and dying, I plan to look back on my life and say 'wow, that was an adventure,' not 'wow, I sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-preston-werner/when-i-m-old-and-dying-i-plan-to-look-back-on-my-life-and-say-wow-2/) [Tom Preston-Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-preston-werner/) [Explore all 3 Tom Preston-Werner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-preston-werner/) ## More Automation quotes > [“But it will make mistakes," she says. "Hadoop will probably get us from a hundred thousand buildings down to, like, five thousand." "So we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/but-it-will-make-mistakes-she-says-hadoop-will-probably-get-us-from-a/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/) > [Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-solanas/life-in-this-society-being-at-best-an-utter-bore-and-no-aspect-of/) [Valerie Solanas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-solanas/) > [I think the automation of vision is a much bigger deal than the invention of perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-think-the-automation-of-vision-is-a-much-bigger-deal-than-the/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Many Western nations have made significant gains through automation and operational excellence, while emerging markets rely on ever-increasing numbers of workers. Each will improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-paliwal/many-western-nations-have-made-significant-gains-through-automation/) [Dinesh Paliwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-paliwal/) > [“Best4Automation is the industry marketplace, which combines all the advantages of a modern on-line shop with the fast logistics of large manufacturers. Our well-known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/best4automation/best4automation-is-the-industry-marketplace-which-combines-all-the/) [Best4automation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/best4automation/) > [“Automation is cost cutting by tightening the corners and not cutting them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haresh-sippy/automation-is-cost-cutting-by-tightening-the-corners-and-not-cutting/) [Haresh Sippy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haresh-sippy/) > [And a revolution of automation finds machines replacing men in the mines and mills of America, without replacing their incomes or their training or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-a-revolution-of-automation-finds-machines-replacing-men-in-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [When the manufacturing decline began in earnest in 2001, the main culprits were the offshoring of jobs to China, with which we have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-daley/when-the-manufacturing-decline-began-in-earnest-in-2001-the-main/) [William M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-daley/) > [To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing stealing far more gigs than automation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/to-be-sure-robotics-are-not-the-only-job-killers-out-there-with/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [I see three forces militating in favor of growing inequality: increasing measurement of worker value added, automation through smart software, and globalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/i-see-three-forces-militating-in-favor-of-growing-inequality/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Our whole economy and society is already being changed by the fact that we have increasing unemployment, mass unemployment and that's what we're facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-chan/our-whole-economy-and-society-is-already-being-changed-by-the-fact/) [Gemma Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-chan/) > [Look at trade and automation: two competing but slightly overlapping forces in the shrinking of the duration of jobs right now. We have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sasse/look-at-trade-and-automation-two-competing-but-slightly-overlapping/) [Ben Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sasse/) > [“intech automation is the study regarding automotive engineering for light and heavy vehicles in Brisbane Australia. Intech.edu.au is availing the courses automation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inetch/intech-automation-is-the-study-regarding-automotive-engineering-for/) [Inetch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inetch/) > [The bottom line is that while automation is eliminating many jobs in the economy that were once done by people, there is no sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-vardi/the-bottom-line-is-that-while-automation-is-eliminating-many-jobs-in/) [Moshe Vardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-vardi/) [Browse all 125 Automation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You’re either the one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Preston-Werner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-preston-werner/you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-automation-or-you-re-getting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Automation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-preston-werner/you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-automation-or-you-re-getting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/tom-preston-werner-82031_automation_you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-a_2825237.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You’re either the one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated.” — Tom Preston-Werner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Preston-Werner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-preston-werner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You’re either the one that creates...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-preston-werner/you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-automation-or-you-re-getting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-preston-werner/you-re-either-the-one-that-creates-the-automation-or-you-re-getting/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```