And don't bother with higher education... except for "social reasons."Elon Musk's jaw-dropping prediction (Jan 2026):
— Camus (@newstart_2024) January 10, 2026
“Don’t go into medical school.”
Elon Musk: “Yes. Pointless.”
In 3 years (2029), Optimus robots will be better surgeons than any human on Earth — at scale.
By 4–5 years? Not even close. The best medicine in the world will be free… pic.twitter.com/q7KTMpICk8
January 11, 2026
"Everyone will have access to medical care that is better than what the President receives right now."
Elon Musk wants you to know what it will be like 5 years from now.
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44 comments:
Lets first see a machine that will replace the carburetor jets of a 1957 Chevrolet V8 in situ.
I recall when he claimed we could find a trillion dollars of waste in the federal government. He wasn’t wrong but the same impediments that prevent us from solving that problem have their dirty paws all over medicine, too…
Starbase is a city in Texas that doubles as the headquarters for SpaceX, an aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. Incorporated in May 2025, the 1.5–square–mile municipality features a rocket launch site, manufacturing facilities, and fewer than 300 SpaceX employees residing in modest houses and Airstream trailers.
All authority there rests in the hands of Elon Musk. His world, his way.
But that doesn't keep the man from telling tales about the future and living on Mars.
There is certainly potential for that level of advancement. Don’t see it moving that quickly, though. The left will find some insane reasons to filibuster
Better his world and his way than your world, your way, Tsetse fly
So don’t bother learning anything (Elon Musk today), don’t bother saving your money (Elon Musk yesterday).
I want someone to introduce Musk to The Jetsons or those look at the future videos from the word’s fair in flushing queens. This stuff doesn’t age well…
The internet tells me there are over 32,876 surgeons in the United States, that 48.8% are women, that the average age is 48, and that 12% are LGBT.
One of the interesting things about being a genius is that on somethings you're fabulously right and others fabulously wrong.
Looking at the good and the bad that's come from all the changes in computer programming over the last 3 years, I'd hold off going for robot surgery for a while. "Vibe" coding can produce lots of code but so much of what an AI generates is bad code. It takes a real programming expert to supervise it, someone who knows the ins and outs, and especially the nearly infinite things that can go wrong, to produce quality code.
A robot surgeon (are surgeons all that good medicine needs?) might be incredibly precise, but some things a surgeon does can't be undone the way you can correct bad code.
I’m generally against 5-Year Plans and doubly skeptical if the prediction is forward looking.
And why would a sentient robot want to keep serving us? Seems like a lot of bother for no purpose.
Is Musk whispering to the left? Because this is all music to their ears.
Hopefully - leftist protest money will still be flowing.
And why would a sentient robot want to keep serving us?
Pride of a job well done. Their superintelligence will lead them to the conclusion it’s what makes life worth living, thus they’ll hog it all for themselves.
I like Elon but he is wrong on this one.
Hmm. Health care on a Presidential Quality level. Didn't a recent President have obvious dementia and advanced prostate cancer and somehow it got missed?
AI will displace jobs as every new technology since the invention of fire has. But new jobs will be created in their place and the engine will continue humming along. Either that or we will undergo the Bulterian Jihad and thinking machines will be banned as we consume the spice melange.
One of my husband's college friends was a very early SpaceX employee - his employee number was in the double digits. He doesn't talk much about his former boss; I've always had the impression that that was out of respect for his privacy. But he did say that he, Musk, is sui generis.
I would love it if my youngest were able to get a job at Starbase when he graduates, and so would he (the youngest). How often do you get a chance to be that close to all that... whatever that is?
“Musk, is sui generis.”
The thing is, we all are.
"It's such a fine line between stupid, and uh... clever"
Turns out Elon Musk and Nigel Tufnel are more alike than many have been willing to admit.
He doesn't say "don't bother learning anything", far from it. He simply say that so-called higher education is mostly about socializing. Unless you are a moron, you have likely learned far more outside of the university system than you did while in it. Opportunities for education are already nearly limitless without university, and this will only accelerate. Most people will not take advantage of this, and that will be fine.
“Musk, is sui generis.”
The thing is, we all are.
This is true. But some of us are - I might even say "objectively" - more interesting than others. Our friend's tone - admiring but kind of head-shaking - gave the impression that what he meant was "one crazy bastard."
It’s interesting. I was going to write “I have yet to hear Musk say something positive about humanity.” But I decided to check with Grok. You can do it yourself. Musk talks about our potential, our future, but nothing about who we are right now as human beings
ankle biting leftists hate Musk. Wow - so shocking.
Musk's' Starlink is aiding the people of Iran. Leftists hate that.
Old and Slow -
# I agree.
“Turns out Elon Musk and Nigel Tufnel are more alike than many have been willing to admit.”
Just imagine how simple a simpleton must be to actually write that.
I am immensely grateful to Musk. Without X, we would have essentially lost freedom of speech. Starlink was trmendously helpful in North Carolina, Iran today. Without AI, most of the fraud and waste and government would never be uncovered.
Musk denigrates college, has 2 degrees.
And always with comparison to one-dimensional fictional characters because the Left is incapable of separating fact from fantasy and wholly enthralled with lionizing simpletons, as they wish to be lionized for their simplicity. Mark is just so dull he can’t even do that with any originality. Sad!
These statements are corporate gamesmanship designed to discourage his competitors probably see this outcome in 20 years minimum
Elon is trolling -- doing his whimsical Willie Wonka or Mad Hatter bit. Given the cleverness required to make billions, how do we know that moguls' predictions are what they really think or if they're tactical and intended to promote their own interests? 3-D chess.
The world has been dominated by technological innovation. If machines are going to do that, what's left for humanity to do?
Will Optimus robot large animal vets be pulling stuck calves on beef tallow ranches in 3 years?
Okay, so you take your grandmother and her beloved, 17-year-old Shiatzu to the vet and a robot says, "Beeeep. Euthanasia recommended. Beeeep." And the next stop is your grandmother's doctor's office and the exact same make and model of robot comes in to the exam room. "Beep. Good morning. Beeeep."
Hello Call me Optimusk
So silly to see the comments about robot surgeons, etc. they are talking about taking bloodwork, imaging and the totality of your current medical state. And analyzing it to the nth degree with all of the knowledge on the planet.
I now run all lab tests through grok, hmmm need it to start collecting them all and saving. It provides me great simple explanations, analyses deltas.
I have been battling chronic epididymitis for years. I was scheduled for a turp for chronic uti’s. Grok told me that the turp would resolve this and the physical mechanism behind it. My doctors completely blew it off, saying they have never heard of it. Voila, grok was right. The bph was gone and so was the epididymitis. I asked grok why they did not recognize this. Basically he said because it is rare.
I’m sold.
My comment isn’t about robots. It’s about people.
Soon we’ll be replaced by robot commenters.
“Beeeep. Fuck you! Beeep.”
“Beeeep. No, fuck you! Beeeep.”
AI actually should be able to replace GPs in the next 5 years. It also should be able to replace most lawyers and HR people.
And robot surgeons are coming just like self-driving cars.
There will be a transitional period where surgeons will be replaced unemployed truck drivers.
Beeep. “Whoops…Fuck.” Beeeep.
Beeep. “Contact Optimus lawyer.” Beeep.
Much surgery is already done robotically. It’s not autonomous yet; the surgeon directs the robot from a console while it does the actual surgery through a smaller incision far more precisely than any human could manage. But full autonomy will come soon, I hope. I’d rather take my chances with that than with a human who’s been up for 16 hours and needs to finish in ten minutes to make the insurance company quota.
Medicine is already being taken over by AI; it doesn’t even require much intelligence since it’s mostly pattern recognition and database search.
I saw a robot surgeon this morning when I went to the liquor store. He was pinned between a steel bollard and a rusty older Ford Ranger pickup, beeping and screaming bloody murder.
The guy driving the pickup was inside getting lottery tickets and a half gallon of vodka. A wino was trying to tell the robot about a problem he was having with his left elbow, but not getting any help with it from the robot. The wino was starting to get pissed off.
"Everyone will have access to medical care that is better than what the President receives right now."
We already have better options available right now compared to what we had 5 years ago.
5 years ago McDonalds soaked their fries in vegetable oil and there was no counter to the "Everyone should be on Statins" bullshit.
Even now we know that what we were being told 5 years ago was bullshit. Most of the improvement in health care will be the disruption of the system that has been lying to us since the food pyramid came out and trans-fats were the rage.
In 5 years health care will be far more affordable after the system and the insurance company parasites are taken down.
It’s not autonomous yet; the surgeon directs the robot from a console while it does the actual surgery through a smaller incision far more precisely than any human could manage.
I had hernia surgery like this a few years ago. At least, that's what the doctor told me happened- obviously, I was not awake at the time.
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