Quote of the day by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates: 'If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you’d think that we’d tax the robot' — devising policy ideas to counter automation risks

The rise of robotics has long threatened human employment, with machines in manufacturing settings especially seemingly performing the work that people used to do. Take this to its logical conclusion, and it's not outside the realm of possibility to have a massive unemployment problem on your hands. So how do we deal with it? Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has a contentious idea.

There's an active (and ongoing) debate about how the rise of apparent job-stealing technology could be handled by policymakers.

This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.