Will operating systems and apps disappear?

Q552 answers2025
Short answer

He predicts phones become AI edge nodes with no conventional OS or apps, and you get everything through AI. That is probably five or six years; most of what people consume by then will be AI-generated content.

From his 2025-10 answer in Joe Rogan Experience #2404 - Elon Musk. Summary is ours; see the quotes below.

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𝕏 post · 2025-08-16 · @elonmusk on X · asked by @amasad · open post ·
He said the phone or computer will become an edge node for AI, rendering pixels with no traditional OS or apps, but still needs significant client-side AI compute.
"The phone/computer will just become an edge node for AI, directly rendering pixels with no real operating system or apps in the traditional sense. There isn’t enough bandwidth to transmit video to all devices from the servers and there won’t always be good connectivity, so there still needs to be significant client-side AI compute."
🎙 Interview · 2025-10 · Joe Rogan Experience #2404 - Elon Musk · asked by Joe Rogan · watch at 1:12:33 · transcript ·
He predicts phones become AI edge nodes with no conventional OS or apps, and you get everything through AI. That is probably five or six years; most of what people consume by then will be AI-generated content.
"I don't think there'll be operating systems. I don't think there'll be apps."

Last updated: 2025-10 (newest answer).

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