Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News
      Eskom waives rooftop solar fees, but the registration fight isn't over

      Eskom waives rooftop solar fees, but the registration fight isn’t over

      1 October 2026
      South Africa's digital ID is here - but you can't have it yet - Leon Schreiber

      South Africa’s digital ID is here – but you can’t have it yet

      1 October 2026
      Absa is moving cash out of its branches

      Absa is moving cash out of its branches

      1 October 2026
      Home affairs pulls the plug on the green ID book - Leon Schreiber

      Home affairs pulls the plug on the green ID book

      1 October 2026
      How Cell C shaped Blu Label's executive pay - Brett Levy Mark Levy

      How Cell C shaped Blu Label’s executive pay

      1 October 2026
    • World
      BMW restructuring plan bets on AI and new models

      BMW restructuring plan bets on AI and new models

      1 October 2026
      OpenAI's rogue agent problem keeps getting bigger - Sam Altman

      OpenAI’s rogue agent problem keeps getting bigger

      28 September 2026
      The new battle over the desktop

      The new battle over the desktop

      23 September 2026
      AMD is now worth a trillion dollars - Lisa Su

      AMD is now worth a trillion dollars

      22 September 2026
      Anthropic weighs new model launch to blunt OpenAI's Astra surge - Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

      Anthropic weighs new model launch to blunt OpenAI’s Astra surge

      21 September 2026
    • In-depth

      10 days that changed the course of AI

      21 September 2026
      Meta to the AI industry: slow down without us - Mark Zuckerberg

      Meta to the AI industry: slow down without us

      16 September 2026
      Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. Image: John Sears

      The plan to stop AI from breaking the world

      16 July 2026
      The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem

      The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem

      15 July 2026
      AI boom sparks rally, frenzy and fear

      AI boom sparks rally, frenzy and fear

      11 June 2026
    • TCS
      TCS | Dominic White and Adam Ely on AI agents going rogue

      TCS | Dominic White and Adam Ely on AI agents going rogue

      29 September 2026
      TCS | Octotel's Trevor van Zyl on the fibre merger question

      TCS | Octotel’s Trevor van Zyl on the MetroFibre merger question

      16 September 2026
      Meet the CIO | Shoprite's Chris Shortt on what a supermarket becomes

      Meet the CIO | Shoprite’s Chris Shortt on what a supermarket becomes

      9 September 2026
      Rubicon's EV charging network is profitable - and growing fast - Watts & Wheels

      W&W | Rubicon’s EV charging network is profitable – and growing fast

      8 September 2026
      Winstone Jordaan on building a national EV charging network

      Winstone Jordaan on building a national EV charging network

      2 September 2026
    • Opinion
      South Africa's next energy crisis is in the accounts department - Craig Holmes

      South Africa’s next energy crisis is in the accounts department

      29 September 2026
      The steam engine lesson AI doomsayers keep missing - Sam Clarke

      The steam engine lesson AI doomsayers keep missing

      28 September 2026
      Regulating AI: apply the laws we have first - Dirk de Vos

      Regulating AI: apply the laws we have first

      21 September 2026
      What Revolut can and cannot take from South Africa's banks - Pambos Soteriades

      What Revolut can and cannot take from South Africa’s banks

      15 September 2026
      The end is nigh, and the shares go on sale in October - Duncan McLeod

      The end is nigh, and the shares go on sale in October

      14 September 2026
    • Company Hubs
      • 1Stream
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • Ascent Technology
      • AvertITD
      • BBD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CM.com
      • Contactable
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • HOSTAFRICA
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • IQbusiness
      • Iris Network Systems
      • Kaspersky
      • LSD Open
      • Mitel
      • NEC XON
      • Netstar
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Publishared
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Telviva
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Vodacom Business
      • Vox
      • Wipro
      • Workday
      • XLink
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Financial services
      • HealthTech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Policy and regulation
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Satellite communications
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
      • Watts & Wheels
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Johann Rupert bets big on rise of the robots

    Johann Rupert bets big on rise of the robots

    By Agency Staff21 May 2017
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    Get breaking news on WhatsApp

    Johann Rupert

    Johann Rupert, the billionaire who controls Cartier owner Richemont, envisions a future in which humans are displaced by robots in the workplace and have all the time in the world to travel. He’s betting the company’s money on it.

    The Swiss luxury goods maker, whose brands also include Montblanc, on Friday disclosed a 5% stake in Dufry, the world’s largest duty-free retailer. Dufry shares rose as much as 7,5% in Zurich.

    The purchase comes a week after Rupert predicted that artificial intelligence and robots will cause economic and social upheaval in the next two decades, drawing on the Second Machine Age theories of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee. While a swath of the population may become unemployable, the uptake of work by machines and computers will fuel demand for leisure among those who can afford it, according to the 66-year-old luxury magnate.

    “Man will have more free time,” Rupert said on a call with reporters last week when Richemont reported financial results. “What are we going to do in 15 to 20 years? Will they all play virtual reality games, will they be on Xboxes? I suspect travel will increase.”

    Rupert predicted a wave of Chinese tourists will buoy the economic prospects of France, Italy and the rest of Europe. Dufry said earlier this month its Asian growth prospects have been boosted after Chinese travel conglomerate HNA Group built up a 21% stake. A 5% stake is worth about 460m Swiss francs (US$470m).

    Richemont’s purchase makes sense, as the luxury goods maker needs more avenues to sell watches at a moment when many ailing retailers hold oversize inventories, Luca Solca, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas, wrote in a note. The Swiss company follows in the steps of Louis Vuitton-owner LVMH, which owns the DFS duty-free chain.

    Just as the industrial revolution created the concept of leisure and led to the birth of modern sports, the looming technological advances are set to fuel demand for cultural experiences, Richemont’s chairman said. He added that he’s a proponent of governments providing universal basic income to help those who get left behind.

    “Will people travel again?” Rupert said. “The answer is yes, especially in the second machine age. We’ll have vast societal changes.”  — (c) 2017 Bloomberg LP

    Add TechCentral as a preferred source on GoogleFollow TechCentral on Google NewsGet breaking news on WhatsApp


    Cartier Dufry Johann Rupert Montblanc Richemont
    WhatsApp YouTube
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticlePodcast | Vincent Maher on e-sports in SA
    Next Article Google, partners to invest R1,3bn in Africa

    Related Posts

    South Africa's mobile operators strike spectrum gold

    The first mobile phone calls in South Africa – how it all began

    4 February 2025
    Foschini Group takes on Shein with speedy deliveries

    Richemont offloads troubled online retailer YNAP

    7 October 2024

    Richemont comes to its senses on Net-a-Porter

    25 August 2022
    Company News
    What Smollan learnt moving 9 000 users to Google Workspace - Digicloud Africa

    What Smollan learnt moving 9 000 users to Google Workspace

    1 October 2026
    Dell Technologies Forum 2026: what to expect in Johannesburg

    Dell Technologies Forum 2026: what to expect in Johannesburg

    1 October 2026
    B2B buyers pick a winner long before the pitch - Publishared, Michelle Losco

    B2B buyers pick a winner long before the pitch

    1 October 2026
    Opinion
    South Africa's next energy crisis is in the accounts department - Craig Holmes

    South Africa’s next energy crisis is in the accounts department

    29 September 2026
    The steam engine lesson AI doomsayers keep missing - Sam Clarke

    The steam engine lesson AI doomsayers keep missing

    28 September 2026
    Regulating AI: apply the laws we have first - Dirk de Vos

    Regulating AI: apply the laws we have first

    21 September 2026

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Latest Posts
    What Smollan learnt moving 9 000 users to Google Workspace - Digicloud Africa

    What Smollan learnt moving 9 000 users to Google Workspace

    1 October 2026
    Eskom waives rooftop solar fees, but the registration fight isn't over

    Eskom waives rooftop solar fees, but the registration fight isn’t over

    1 October 2026
    Dell Technologies Forum 2026: what to expect in Johannesburg

    Dell Technologies Forum 2026: what to expect in Johannesburg

    1 October 2026
    South Africa's digital ID is here - but you can't have it yet - Leon Schreiber

    South Africa’s digital ID is here – but you can’t have it yet

    1 October 2026
    © 2009 - 2026 NewsCentral Media
    Built and maintained by Chronon
    • Cookie policy (ZA)
    • TechCentral – privacy and Popia

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Manage consent

    TechCentral uses cookies to enhance its offerings. Consenting to these technologies allows us to serve you better. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions of the website.

    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    • Manage options
    • Manage services
    • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
    • Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    • {title}
    • {title}
    • {title}
    🇿🇦 Sign up to the TechCentral newsletter