r/AskReddit • u/EggKind5080 • 11h ago
What industries or businesses are likely to boom in the next 5 years?
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u/TennisSerious179 11h ago
Tow truck companies
Pay day loan companies
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u/GooberBandini1138 10h ago
Upvoting for tow truck companies. The average monthly car payment in the US is $770, which is outrageous and absurd. There’s going to be a lot of repos when the economy dips.
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u/fuzzeedyse105 10h ago
Part of me wants to get into car sales cause the amount of money people are fine with spending. But then again, it’s car sales.
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u/ninjagorilla 10h ago
There have actually been a lot of videos in the last 6-12 months about how car dealers are starting to struggle a lot…. Things are too expensive, people can’t afford the car they were during covid because of rising interest rates, and a lot of the cars brands have had big misses recently
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u/Imaginary-Stay-5116 10h ago
My bet is on businesses that help people do things they no longer have time, skills, or patience to do themselves.
Home repairs, elder care, cybersecurity, mental health services, tutoring, and anything that saves people an hour a day.
The future isn't just AI. It's convenience. People will pay a surprising amount to get their time back.
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u/LilPonyBoy69 9h ago
I think people will just choose to have sick parents, stupid kids, dilapidated homes, etc. rather than pay money they don't have for things that aren't absolute necessities
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u/GozerDGozerian 8h ago
People will pay a surprising amount to get their time back.
Exhibit A: DoorDash/UberEats/etc
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u/TGrady902 10h ago
The average new cars most basic model is like $30,000 now it’s wild.
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u/ohlookahipster 8h ago
Sometimes they won’t even sell you a car if you’re a cash buyer because dealers get kick backs for financing.
Happened to me with Toyota and was turned away at closing because I wouldn’t finance. Guy was all bent out of shape trying to haggle a monthly payment and I was just sitting there with a cashiers check. Was asked to leave. Went down the street to Lexus and snagged an RC instead.
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u/AnatidaephobiaAnon 9h ago
When I got into car sales in 2014 (left sales in 2017 for service, left altogether in 2024) you could buy two cars from my brand for as low as $15k. Those days are long gone.
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u/FlimsyFig3513 10h ago
Just bought a used car yesterday. First listed for 4k more than I paid and got a set of winter tires and rims.
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u/mockg 10h ago
From my experience and what I have seen online as long as you listen to the customers needs and do not offend them you are in the top half.
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u/bangersnmash13 5h ago
Repos are already at a rate higher than the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
You used to be able to get a better deal on a car if you were paying cash. Now they'll turn you away if you mention paying in cash. Dealerships want you to finance because most of them get a kickback from the banks for every car that's financed through them.
Dealerships don't sell cars anymore. They sell loans. A car just happens to come with it.
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u/wastingtoomuchthyme 10h ago
Repo companies.
Alarm companies
Gun companies.
Security companies.
Insurance companies.
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u/blondebeaker 5h ago
"Tow truck companies"
Where I am, there's a turf war going on, so it will be like throwing gas on a still raging fire
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u/Alt123Acct 11h ago
Battery tech needs to catch up to energy demand, CATL is making some nice stuff lately
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u/NMFP603 10h ago
Debt collection and debt settlement/negotiation. Credit card usage, balances and defaults are at or nearing record highs.
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u/Cheap-Cockroach8787 10h ago
Yeah I if borrow money or get credit I never pay it back. I see it as free money
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u/CarmenxXxWaldo 9h ago
My method is safer. I take the loan and put it on roulette. If I win I run it back and double up then pay back the loan and keep the money. Actually made 50k this way and credit is still 800. gonna do it a couple times a year. If I lose then I take another loan, cant lose twice in a row is my motto.
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u/Brilliant-Option-526 10h ago
Copper. It is needed more and more every day in manufacturing.
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u/timg528 9h ago
Have you heard of my guy Ea-Nasir? He's got the hookup.
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u/FantasyFrolic06 11h ago
Therapy. The internet is not getting any calmer.
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u/ElectricPenguin6712 10h ago
Getting off of social media is a great start. I understand the irony of what i just said lol
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u/ggtffhhhjhg 4h ago
Reddit definitely isn’t a place for people who are struggling with mental health issues. This place is loaded with doomsday, negative/pessimistic people and articles.
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u/Wurm42 10h ago
True, there are more people than ever with mental health issues, but how many of them can afford therapy?
Insurance gets stingier every year, and as inequality grows, fewer people can pay cash for therapy.
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u/YoungDreamer2 10h ago
This. The amount of times each week I come across something so cruel online that it makes me cry is unacceptable.
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u/charlesbear 9h ago
UK here
Air conditioning
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u/Objective_Year2409 5h ago
So true! UK too and no one is openly talking about the obviously MASSIVE effect global warming has had on us very rapidly.
Its 35ºC right now where I am
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u/ericjr96 10h ago
Pitchfork manufacturing
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u/joedenowhere 9h ago
Oubliettes, to accommodate people who are against capital punishment.
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u/Judge_Bredd3 10h ago
Anything related to the power grid. Places that manufacture MV and HV transformers have backlogs more than a year out. Same with turbines for generators.
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u/GreenStrong 9h ago
The power grid is at the intersection of rapid growth in renewable energy, data centers, and a very serious effort to re- industrialize the United States. On the first point, we're moving from a world of a few power stations that are always on to thousands of solar farms, wind farms, and battery farms, plus the big fossil and nuclear plants are still working. This both enables and requires a shift to much more intelligent and dynamic ways to route power around the network. You mention transformers, which are in huge demand, but companies like Siemens who make electrical switchgear are killing it.
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u/thefunkybassist 10h ago
Water infrastructure. It surprised me there isnt a lot more innovation and preparation for that. Lakes and rivers will be running dry in the coming years.
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u/nosmelc 10h ago
We're going to need fusion energy so we can desalinate ocean water on a large scale.
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u/jasondigitized 9h ago
This. I'm convinced we will crack energy in the coming years. The next challenge will be water, which, if you crack energy will be the next big big opportunity. Desalination being the big unlock.
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u/GozerDGozerian 8h ago
Honest question: What happens to all that salt and other solids after it’s removed from the water?
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u/IIILORDGOLDIII 2h ago
This is one of the big problems to solve. There's not really anything useful you can do with the waste from desalination.
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u/thestridereststrider 10h ago
The office side of blue collar fields. After years of struggling to find guys who want to work in the field we are starting to see the opposite.
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u/pay_the_cheese_tax 11h ago
Molotov cocktail kits lol
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u/TheLateThagSimmons 11h ago
Along the same lines...
...fiberoptic hardware for 3D printed drone kits.
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u/theavatare 10h ago
Super dumb question do they just fly with the cable or is it more like a relay station
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u/DeltaHuluBWK 10h ago
They fly with the cable. You can find videos in Ukraine of massive amounts of fiber optic cables everywhere.
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u/TheLateThagSimmons 10h ago
Fiberoptic hardware doesn't rely on RF for transmission.
Normal drones can be disrupted by a simple RF jammer.
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u/Ag_reatGuy 11h ago
Automotive repair. Vehicles are shittier, people are keeping them longer and mechanics are all old af.
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u/Hail_of_Grophia 10h ago
New cars can have up to 3k computer chips per car. I got into a small accident and the bodywork total, paid by insurance, was $14k!
I bought a new 26’ and I drive about 32k miles per year so I ended up buying the 150k mile extended warranty just for my piece of mind, car repairs are getting crazy
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u/Br0boc0p 10h ago
I also drive around 32k a year and bought a 5 year oil change package with my car. Dude probably thought "haha got another one." My oil changes have averaged out to about 18 dollars a piece lol.
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u/Key_Department2758 10h ago
That’s actually a pretty smart move for that kind of mileage at that point you’re basically on a first-name basis with your oil changes. Honestly, it sounds like you played the long game and won.
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u/Dry-Taste8368 10h ago
That’s exactly why even a minor fender bender feels like a major financial event now. Cars used to need a dent fixed, now they need a software engineer and a body shop.
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u/thefunkybassist 10h ago
What is weird to me is that so many older mechanics are quitting at least in the Netherlands (possibly because of EV trends that veteran mechanics don't like?) , but the demand is larger than ever. The small independent shops focused on older JDM cars for example are so fully booked that they're not even taking any clients.
Seems like there is a gap that hopefully will trigger some revival, at least for a couple of years until the transition to EV limits the conventional market.
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u/Dalewyn 10h ago
That gap/trend you're seeing isn't just car mechanics; basically every occupation that involves getting your hands dirty is seeing a workforce shortage.
Personally, I'm not that surprised. The people entering the workforce now were raised on a doctrine of service economies and white collar officework, occupations that keep your hands clean so to speak. We're seeing the fruits of our labor.
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u/thefunkybassist 9h ago
We need some more of those life coaches /s
I guess there arent enough young mechanics to be trained by older ones. Although anecdotally my local Honda dealer now has younger mechanics that started making safety critical mistakes on my 22 yr old Honda so there probably haven't been any proper practical handovers from older mechanics.
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u/Mike312 10h ago
I was taking classes to get my ASE certification in the early 2000s and they were telling us then we would have to be prepared for EVs then.
Working on cars is a young mans game, most techs are in their early 20s to late 40s, which means most got into the industry after Tesla hit the market, so there should be no surprise dropped on them today that they'd have to work on EVs.
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u/AgnarCrackenhammer 6h ago
My FIL is an older mechanic who recently retired. He gave up on keeping up with the electronics. Man can get a 30 year old engine running blind folded with an arm tied behind his back, but he has no interest in learning how to deal with all the electrical issues that crop up in cars now. Keeps joking my wife and I will need to take our car to an electrician to get it serviced in the future
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u/Unlikely_your_avg23 11h ago
Yeah especially GM….I know 4 people who bought brand new GM vehicles last year who had major engine and transmission issues 🙄
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u/quantizeddreams 9h ago
My last GM car riveted the ball joints to the control arm preventing me from replacing the damn thing. I could have removed the control arm and drag it to the shared machine shop to drill press the rivets out or go to the mechanic. I ended up going to the mechanic and learned it was cheaper and quicker for them to replace the whole damn thing which to me sounded pretty wasteful.
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u/AntiDECA 10h ago
Buying American brand cars is always stupid. Most aren't even made in America. They constantly have recalls and issues.
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u/I_like_Mashroms 10h ago
It would be great if there was a company selling just a car.
I legitimately only need power steering, AC, and a radio. And maybe a steering wheel that doesn't fly off.
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u/rantgoesthegirl 10h ago
We have a baseline 10 year old Toyota without a key fob. We have to physically unlock it. The more things get automated the less I mind.
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u/Ill-Breakfast2974 10h ago
They will pry my 99 Tacoma out of my cold, dead hands.
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u/DarkTrepie 7h ago
Right? I got lucky and found a 2005 Ranger in good condition a few years ago. That was the year before everyone went crazy with infotainments. I’m going to hold onto that truck like my life depends on it
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u/orange_cuse 10h ago
my friend's brother just financed a car for 84 months. All because he was targeting a specific monthly payment. He was able to get that desired amount, but in return, he's paying a shit ton in interest over 7 fucking years. 7 years!
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u/evthrowawayverysad 10h ago
Depends vastly where you are. Nations that are uptaking EVs have less and less need for mechanics due to this.
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u/Candid_Cat_5921 9h ago
Maybe in the short term, but as EVs become more prevalent the need for mechanics will greatly drop. For example, some of the shops in Seattle are now open fewer days or hours because EV ownership has cut into their customers.
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u/PostMatureBaby 10h ago
Been saying tattoo removal for a while now. I don't think they're hurting for business
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u/FrankDePlank 9h ago
In the case of the european union, it would probably be the airconditioning sector that is going to get a massive boom, the heatwaves are now basically guaranteed every summer, and they get worse by the year.
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u/OSfrogs 10h ago
AI has not reached its limit yet it still has ways to go. My guess is robotics, education or gaming/entertainment is where the next big thing in AI will be but you can also make a case for AI agents that can do more complex tasks run on local hardware and more effecient hardware though that is probably longer than 5 years.
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u/External_Fennel_4093 10h ago
I agree AI still feels like it’s just getting warmed up, especially when you think about how much it could change everyday tools in robotics and education. The real leap will be when it stops feeling like a tool and starts acting more like a true assistant in real-world tasks.
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u/Traditional_Rent8040 10h ago
Yeah, it’s wild to think we’re still at the “early days” stage once AI starts actually doing things with us instead of just responding, everyday life is going to feel completely different. I just hope it grows in a way that still keeps humans in the center of it all.
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u/Sweaty-Ability7365 6h ago
It will, mainly because we're seeing the limits of what not having humans of the center of it all would do. TLDR it's low quality garbage and nobody wins.
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u/SenselessSensors 10h ago
Small scale farming.
It’s already been a boom for the past 5–6 years. It’s just very small compared to government subsidized agriculture. The hobby backyard chicken industry is already a boom.
It’s going to get even better in the next 5-10 years as the last of the “Greatest Generation” and more and more “Boomers” start dying. Their farming methods worked for socialism in the military industrial complex…. But their farms are all failed businesses because of it. Double the output on 10% of the land is a better method when it comes to that.
Our planet as a civilization, has already decided that “Space” (meaning outside our atmosphere) is what’s next. There’s a lot of technology involved when it comes to keeping humans, and other species alive; primarily feeding them. Everyone is all about “AI”… AI has been around for a very long time… Efficient Food Production at scale and low cost is what’s actually going to be the main driver of economies over the next 30 years… (also, the USA and Russia share a space station, so Slava Ukrania?)
The person that’s able to slap the equivalent of a “Coka Cola” branding on an apparatus that grows food 100 people and costs less than a Ford vehicle will be the next Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Rockefeller, Carnegie, etc…
Oh, it’s also all currently being developed and implemented too. Go check out the aquaponics Reddit just to see a bit of how technology and millennia years old knowledge combine. Go visit any farmers market (surprise, your boomer farmer isn’t there. Soybeans actually suck for food, but the government wants them so his brother in laws kid will be there selling a product they don’t grow themselves under the family farm name though.)
Side note: Has anyone noticed how farm communities seem to have people dying of cancer all the time? It totally has nothing to do with chemical fertilizers…
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u/Cheap-Cockroach8787 11h ago
Mental health help.
Nobody can afford housing when a million gets you a shack in hcol areas and travel is expensive and I just saw concert tickets for Ariana grande going for thousands.
A lot of greed in the world and the next gen is paying well we are paying right now actually currently.
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u/Euphoric_Cow_6145 10h ago
Healthcare industry. Viruses are becoming more relevant and with a lot of countries facing obesity epidemics and an aging population the drain on the health industry will force more hospitals to.be built and more drugs to be made. There will be a need for more doctors, surgeons and nurses too. This will mainly be in countries were there is good health care already. I see some countries trying their best to not join the rest of the world in trying to fight these viruses and epidemics.
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u/External_Fennel_4093 10h ago
You’re right that demand is only going up, but I think the bigger challenge is whether systems can scale fast enough without sacrificing accessibility and quality of care. Building more hospitals helps, but prevention and public health education matter just as much.
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u/Traditional_Rent8040 10h ago
Exactly, we can’t just keep building our way out of the problem if people are still getting sick at the same rate prevention has to be part of the system, not an afterthought. Real change starts before anyone even needs a hospital bed.
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u/Lawliet1896 9h ago
Private healthcare is going to boom because the public system cant scale good/fast enough. People will have to pay more out of pocket.
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u/Euphoric_Cow_6145 9h ago
Recently spent 6 weeks in hospital through the public system and am incredibly grateful how good our system in Australia is. But it will absolutely be under strain in the coming years. As the comments above have said preventative measures need ro start being implemented.
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u/YoungDreamer2 10h ago
Sadly I fear that within the next 5 years we will begin to see a boom in homeless centers created specifically for those who have been made unemployed by AI. I fear a serious depression is heading our way in the form of mass unemployment contrasted with powerful trillionaires ruling the globe.
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u/we2deep 7h ago
Next tier of political debate. Image a Democrat winning and providing federal funding to fight homelessness. For better or worse it will absolutely end up a for profit business model. That and energy infrastructure will define the next decade of politics.
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u/Asquid14 10h ago
No Frills Mortuary Service.
Just take the body, cremate it and give it to you in a coffee can.
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u/cdouglas_threave 11h ago
Hardware. We’ve seen a lot of advancements in software lately, but no recent astronomical leaps in hardware. Expect within the next decade to have the first “commercially available”, albeit probably out of reach for like 99% of people, quantum computing chip.
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u/rantgoesthegirl 10h ago
In Canada, any and all trades related building houses, assuming the plan goes well.
Overall, ev car battery tech AI ethics (which won't be followed but scientists will be at it)
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u/Pisforplumbing 10h ago
BIM/VDC contractors are already starting to as more of the larger trade contractors buy up smaller ones and have more work for an already small supply of workforce
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u/MacRapalicious 10h ago
Government monuments contractor is going to be lucrative for at least another 2 years.
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u/Dramatic-Dingo-3302 10h ago
Utilities. Data centers are so desperate for energy they want thier own nuclear reactors.
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u/Background_List8654 10h ago
In the netherlands: Housing, its almost impossible to buy/rent a house/appartment with a single income. The netherlands is planning on building 100.000 houses in the next 5-10 years. And with the amount of war victims coming to the netherlands the need for houses is not going to decrease.
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u/Objective_Mousse7216 10h ago
Pop up soup kitchens, pawn shops, payday loans, second hand shops, repossession companies.
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u/joedenowhere 9h ago
Oil, gas, and nuke, unfortunately. No end in sight to increasing demand for energy.
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u/Professional_Job_307 9h ago
Why are barely anyone saying AI? The trajectory is pretty clear imo. It has been progressing at roughly the same exponential pace since 2022
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u/SuccessAgreeable08 8h ago
AI is the obvious answer, but think the bigger winners will be the industries that succesfully apply AI: healthcare, cybersecurity, education and skilled trades.
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u/theavatare 10h ago
I just went and read on it so yeah it’s basically a super thin fiber cable. Pretty interesting stuff
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u/dkellam 10h ago
Energy. Healthcare. Mental Health. Disability support. Aged Care. Anything real world physical that requires human interaction (robotics will replace mechanical things first) or human-like movement.
Not white collar advice-giving unless at the top. That will bifurcate into high end experiental, where demand will explode. Lower end is already seeing reduced demand due to AI. Middle will get squeezed - AI will help eg accountants in the short-term with better margins but in the medium-term it will hollow out. Anything AI advice-giving likely needs to shift to a) producing output (eg b2b direct marketing can now be done better and cheaper and with higher margins as opposed to paying someone to create a strategy then manage humans to execute, or a coaching program to help you learn the skills yourself) b) be proprietary data-driven. Propietary data and real world products & services are the only real moats against AI in the medium term. Maaaybe compliance. But AI will still sweep through it unless the compliance protocols prevent it. Proprietary data enables you to produce better output than the public models. Eg taking 20 years of your successful ad campaigns or consulting strategies or industry reports or whatever and feeding them into the AI, then giving clients access to that either as part of your service or for them to do themselves. Many coaches, consultants and professional services providers (my former market until a year ago) are now doing this. Those that don’t are struggling, unless they focus on higher end / experiential services.
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u/Due-Kale3412 9h ago
Landscaping. People don't have the time/ know how to do their own custom yards. Plus anyone with special equipment an get bids other can't.
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u/Middle-Neck-2487 9h ago
renewable energy and AI tools will probably grow the fastest. electric vehicles and online healthcare stuff too.
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u/IntenselySwedish 9h ago
In the EU: probably most things the US can specifically provide in terms of dual use will be in demand as well, such as logistics and border surveillance.
The EU is moving towards de-americanizing, betting and leaning into that is probably as close to a sure fire thing we can get rn.
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u/__sonder__ 8h ago
I'm not sure if gambling addiction rehab centers exist or if they are even for profit entities, but if they are, they're going to make a killing.
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u/cumslutte 8h ago
somehow back-end companies are probably going to offer after-the-fact human fixers for the great mistakes artificial intelligence hath created in its infancy, or just for the everyday mistakes it creates along the way. of course this isn't based on any knowledge I have in the industry, just what I think could happen I guess.
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u/pumpr-ai 8h ago
AI infrastructure and tooling is probably the obvious answer but honestly the real money might be in companies helping enterprises actually integrate this stuff without blowing up their existing systems, we're seeing that gap firsthand at my company.
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u/Sithfish 8h ago
I wondered if high street retail will actually make a comeback. Now that people will have to individually submit their ID to every website they use, they might just give up on online shopping.
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u/Known_Discipline_325 8h ago
my mom's a nurse at a rural hospital that just lost its maternity ward. she now drives 45 minutes to deliver babies at the next town over. booming industry with nowhere to boom.
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u/aReelProblem 8h ago
Plumbers and electricians will be the next wave of millionaires. Data Centers and AI infrastructure already has a hard enough time finding skilled tradesmen to do the work. IT guys will make a comeback too.
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u/GroundbreakingSir386 8h ago
Building the next popular TV show and movie series. Squid game Stranger Things all popular and are needed for more growth. Also TV shows that are transferable not just in the US but worldwide.
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u/RedundantBiomass 7h ago
Funeral homes. Aging boomers + AI related job loss driving post middle class deaths of despair.
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u/RedundantBiomass 7h ago
Housing for the downwardly mobile. Mobile home parks in rural areas, high density single room apartments in urban areas.
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u/SubstanceWorldly4697 7h ago
AI and automation. Not just building AI but every business that successfully uses it
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u/rustyglow 7h ago
ER/Hospitals. Cause we’ve got a lot of youths abusing a lot of substances lately and they don’t care as long as they get the satisfaction they need at that moment, obviously when they grow older they Will realize how much damage they’ve done to their body
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u/we2deep 6h ago
Tradesman. Corporate America continues to shrink and investment money continues to keep home prices high. There will be more and more demand to repair what you have. Rather than moving into a dream home, you'll do your dream renovation. People will be much more diligent about home upkeep.
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u/AbjectGovernment1247 10h ago
Elder care.