But that was 1963. Over the course of the twentieth century, productivity growth and job growth ran more or less parallel. Man and machine marched along side by side. Now, as we step out into a new century, the robots have suddenly picked up the pace. It began around the year 2000, with what two MIT economists called “the great decoupling.” “It’s the great paradox of our era,” said one. “Productivity is at record levels, innovation has never been faster, and yet at the same time, we have a falling median income and we have fewer jobs.”21 Today, new jobs are concentrated mostly at the bottom of
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