GERMANY: Two top managers speak favourably about Basic Income

In recent interviews, two top German businessmen—Deutsche Telekom’s CEO Timotheus Höttges and SAP board member Berndf Leukert—have expressed their support of a Basic Income.

In the December 29th, 2015 edition of the German magazine „Die Zeit“ Höttges talks about the effects of the digital revolution on the economy and society and the need to offer basic security to human beings. Höttges claims that a Basic Income would provide such security and could be funded by taxing the gains and profits of big internet firms. In this view, Basic Income would provide a long-term solution for a society that has been restructured through the process of digitalization. He repeats his stance in an interview published in the January 14th, 2016 edition of „Die Zeit“.

Bernd Leukert is a member of the board of the German firm SAP, one of the most important software producers globally. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of January 21st, he recommends the introduction of a Basic Income as a means to provide a fair income to everybody under the conditions of the forth digital revolution. This would prevent society from falling apart or splintering into a well-paid and wealthy minority against a majority who find their salaries threatened by digitalization. Like Höttges, Leukert sees Basic Income as a long-term solution. Unlike Höttges, however, Leukert does not speak about funding options in the interview.

See more about this story at the following sources:

Digitale Revolution, “Telekom-Chef Höttges für bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen” (Digital Revolution: the boss of Deutsche Telekom is in favour of a Basic Income). Ziet Online. December 29, 2015

Giovanni di Lorenzo, “Der Unterschied zwischen Mensch und Computer wird in Kürze aufgehoben sein“. Ziet Online. December 30, 2015

Carsten Knop, “Ein Grundeinkommen hilft allen” (A Basic Income is helpful for everybody). Franffurter Allgemeine. January 21, 2016.