Cuban to Trump: The U.S. Needs to Invest in Robotics to 'Win' The 'Shark Tank' investor writes in a blog post that the government should spend $100 billion to create and build robots.
By Stephen J. Bronner Edited by Dan Bova
Mark Cuban, who did not support President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign, has struck a more hopeful tone since the results came in. Now, the Shark Tank investor has a suggestion for our future president: Invest in robotics.
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Trump has stated that he wants his government to invest $1 trillion to improve the country's infrastructure. On Sunday, Cuban wrote in a blog post that $100 billion of this money should go to "companies that do R&D, software and design for robots and every other facet of the Robotics Industry."
"Unfortunately, none of the companies that actually make the robotics are based here in the USA. That's a problem that needs to be solved," Cuban writes. "We need to help develop domestic companies much like we did the electric car and wind and solar industries. Even if it means trying to help pick winners. We have to win the robotics race. We are not even close right now."
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Cuban points out that the rising field of robotics will cause the loss of jobs (that's what caused most of the job losses at factories, after all), but the investment is necessary for the U.S. to compete in the future.
"The only question that needs to be answered is which country will create and own the best robotic technology and have the infrastructure necessary to enable it," Cuban writes. "Right now it's not the USA and that needs to change."
