📉 UBI and the Semiconductor Spending Trap

Crisis in 2030
5 years
$12,000
35% cut
Total Spending (2035)
$0B
UBI Contribution (2035)
$0B
Unemployment (2035)
0%
Years Below Viability
0
The Trap: This model shows how total tech spending collapses during a mass automation crisis. Corporate R&D cuts compound over time as unemployment worsens—the "Recession Fear Cut" is the initial panic response, then spending continues to decline as the crisis deepens. UBI fails to prevent this because: (1) it arrives too late, (2) it doesn't restore corporate or government R&D, and (3) people on UBI spend only 0.2% of income on cutting-edge semiconductors vs. 2% for employed workers—a 10x difference. Total spending falls catastrophically below the $300B threshold required for new fabs.