The U.S. national debt has grown so enormous that another trillion can almost sound like a rounding error. But for Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, the numbers point to a much bigger problem — and his proposed solution involves artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and a race against the clock.
Musk issued the warning during an episode of the “Dwarkesh Podcast” in February 2026, arguing that the U.S. could face financial failure without AI and robotics.
