AI data centres are ‘best thing’ for working-class Americans, says tech investor Gavin Baker

Data centres are having a positive impact on working-class Americans by creating lucrative blue-collar jobs and revitalising struggling communities, according to tech investor and Atreides Management executive Gavin Baker.

Speaking on “The A16z Show,” Baker defended the rapid expansion of data centres across the US, which has faced growing criticism over their electricity use, water consumption and impact on local communities.

Data centres creating blue-collar jobs

Baker said the data-centre boom was creating new opportunities for workers without college degrees.

“It’s probably the best thing that has ever happened to working-class Americans,” Baker said, arguing that data centres were helping revitalise declining small towns across the country.

He said young Americans could increasingly find well-paying careers as electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians, rather than taking on the cost of a four-year college education.

Baker argued that a college degree was becoming “significantly NPV negative” for some young people as demand for skilled trades rises alongside the AI boom.

Data-centre jobs pay big money

The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure has created strong demand for workers who can build, operate and maintain data centres.

Baker said blue-collar workers in these sectors are making “ungodly amounts of money” as technology companies race to expand computing capacity.

The trend has also fuelled an increasingly vocal anti-college sentiment in parts of the technology industry. One data-centre electrician previously told Business Insider that he skipped an undergraduate degree and now earns $40 an hour.

Investor dismisses data-centre criticism

Data centres have come under scrutiny over their enormous electricity requirements, water consumption and environmental impact.

Baker acknowledged that concerns about the industry existed but argued that technology companies were becoming better at addressing them.

“Data centers are really, really, really good, and they’re having a positive impact on the world,” he said.

He described the data-centre buildout as part of a broader US industrial revival.

“We are re-industrializing America. And it’s awesome,” Baker said, adding that this was an objective that politicians from both major parties had supported for years.

Baker attacks politicians opposing data centres

Baker has also defended data centres on X, where he recently argued that politicians opposed to the facilities were unqualified to hold public office.

He later clarified that there were legitimate concerns about data centres around 18 months ago, but said properly structured projects could address those issues.

“This has been unambiguously awesome for blue-collar Americans,” Baker said.

Baker blames China for some opposition

Baker also linked some of the opposition to data centres to China.

On the podcast, he alleged there was an “organized, CCP-funded campaign” against data centres that was being “laundered through TikTok.” Similar claims have previously been made by other technology and business figures, including Garry Tan and Kevin O’Leary.

Baker said the AI industry needed to do more to explain the economic benefits of its infrastructure investments to the public.

“The only group that can tell the AI industry’s truth is the AI industry,” he said, arguing that technology companies need to communicate more effectively about the jobs and economic activity created by data centres.

Baker urges AI giants to highlight benefits

Baker suggested that major technology companies should publicly showcase how AI infrastructure is benefiting American workers and communities.

He pointed to former Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg as an example of effective corporate messaging and said companies including SpaceX, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta should highlight stories involving workers and local communities.

He also called on chipmakers Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom to provide specific examples of the economic impact of the AI boom.

“The truth will set you free — but only if you tell it,” Baker said.