Andrew Yang

“the savings from automating truck driving are estimated to be 168 billion dollars per year. And not just labor savings, but also equipment utilization because …”

Yang claims truck accidents currently kill about 4,000 people a year and that automation would save $168 billion annually.

“Where there are two and a half million call center workers still in the United States. Generally high school graduates that make about $14 an hour.”

Yang claims there are 2.5 million call center workers in the US and predicts AI will become indistinguishable from a human very soon.

“Retail and sales, 30% of malls are closing in the next four years. So the danger here is to think of it as artificial intelligence is coming.”

Yang claims 30% of American malls will close within four years (from 2019).

“the roosevelt institute studied this plan of everyone getting a thousand bucks a month and projected it would create two million new jobs and grow the economy …”

Yang cites a Roosevelt Institute study projecting UBI would create 2 million new jobs and grow the economy by 8-10%.

“a value-added tax at even half the European level generates about 800 billion in new revenue. And that gets you all the way there.”

Yang claims a VAT set at half the European average rate would generate about $800 billion a year in new US federal revenue, calling it the final piece needed to fund his $1,000/month universal basic income.

“that company man that company got fined 635 million which sounds like a lot until you realize they made like 16 billion”

Yang claims Purdue Pharma was fined $635 million for opioid marketing violations after making about $16 billion, implying the fine was a trivial fraction of profits.

“Being a retail worker is the most common job in the United States right now. The average retail worker is a 39-year-old woman with a high school education maki…”

Yang claims retail worker is the most common job in the US and profiles the average retail worker as a 39-year-old woman earning $11-12/hour.

“something like 88 percent of truckers have an early marker for chronic disease like oh you know like substance abuse diabetes obesity high blood pressure”

Yang claims about 88% of truckers show an early marker for chronic disease such as substance abuse, diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.

“only six percent of american high school students are in technical or vocational training in germany that's 59”

Yang claims only 6% of American high school students are in technical/vocational training compared to 59% in Germany.

“amazon's getting 20 billion dollars of commerce every year and is now tipping your malls and Main Street stores into oblivion”

Yang claims Amazon generates $20 billion a year in commerce that is driving mall and Main Street closures.

“we're spending about $1.5 trillion right now on 126 welfare programs”

Yang claims the US currently spends $1.5 trillion a year across 126 different welfare programs.

“The underemployment rate for recent college graduates today is 44%.”

Yang claims the underemployment rate for recent college graduates is 44%.

“if something devastating happens to you in any other form you can file for bankruptcy but you never escape your student loans no matter what happens to you”

Yang claims that unlike other debts, student loans can never be discharged in bankruptcy no matter what happens to the borrower.

“if you look at the voter district data on a district by district basis, there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial robots in that voting dis…”

Yang claims a direct, straight-line correlation exists between industrial robot adoption by voting district and the shift toward Trump, dismissing racism, Russia, Facebook, or the FBI as explanations.

“there are three and a half million truck drivers in this country right now. It's the most common job in 29 states. And the average trucker is a 49-year-old guy”

Yang claims trucking is the most common job in 29 US states.

“if you're a non-college-educated person in the United States, the odds of you ever getting married are less than 50% now for the first time ever”

Yang claims that for non-college-educated Americans, the lifetime odds of ever marrying have fallen below 50% for the first time.

“we automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs that were based in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, all the swing states he needed to win”

Yang claims automation (not trade or other factors) eliminated 4 million manufacturing jobs in swing states and that this explains Trump's 2016 win.

“Like 94 million or so Americans have left the workforce over the last number of years. Now, a lot of that's natural demographics, a lot of that's people in sch…”

Yang cites a figure of 94 million Americans having left the workforce, attributing a subset (5 million) to unskilled men pushed out by automation.

“most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. 57% of Americans can't afford an unexpected $500 bill.”

Yang claims 57% of Americans cannot afford an unexpected $500 expense.

“so the uh so bain says you're looking at uh between 20 and 30 percent of jobs subject to automation by 2030 which is pretty soon it's like 11 years from now mc…”

Yang cites Bain, McKinsey, and a White House report projecting 20-30%, ~25%, and 83% (respectively) of low-wage jobs will be automated by 2030.