Billionaire VC Marc Andreessen Isn't Worried About Robots

Billionaire entrepreneur and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA chairman Jack Ma famously cautioned earlier this year that automation will result in "much more pain than happiness" over the next three decades.

The Future Of Robotics Doesn't Spell Disaster For Humanity

But not all entrepreneurs see this the same way. Fellow billionaire and general partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz Marc Andreessen thinks the doom and gloom story about robotics is way off. Speaking during Recode's annual Code Conference he said that every 25 to 50 years people start to "panic" about an upcoming technological revolution — but "it never comes true."

For example, Andreessen noted that 100 years ago people were scared cars would replace human labor, but instead, cars created the auto industry. The auto sector turned into a notable employer and created jobs in complementary sectors, like street pavers.

Similarly, robotics will create "one of the biggest booms" we've ever seen, Andreessen said. While there will be many losers, there will also be few winners who will become "defining companies of the era."

Andreessen also commented on the rise of self-driving cars during his talk. He suggested that self-driving cars will not only save lives, but will also increase productivity in ways that we can't even imagine today.

The bottom line: Andreessen thinks people will "overdo" fears related to new technologies, but he isn't sounding any of the alarm bells himself.