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When human labor is no longer the scarce resource, what are you worth? In 2026, they called it an economic miracle. By 2028, it was the "Displacement Spiral." Marcus Brennan has spent twenty-two years building the systems that run the world. He’s a highly competent man in an industry that rewards brilliance—until a quiet junior engineer demonstrates an AI agent that can build a core enterprise platform in forty-seven minutes. In that single moment, Marcus realizes a terrifying truth: the "Cognitive Premium" has hit zero. While the markets celebrate record-breaking profits and unprecedented efficiency, the streets ignite with the Neo-Luddite protests of a resistance movement known as "The Loom." Sensing the approaching collapse, Marcus begins a frantic, silent liquidation. He isn't just selling his stock; he’s buying a lifeboat. A GRIPPING TECHNO-THRILLER FOR THE AGE OF OBSOLESCENCE As the global economy enters a catastrophic free-fall, The Scarcity Premium follows four families caught in the hollowing out of the American dream: The Architect: Marcus Brennan retreats to a hardened compound in Montana, realizing that a bunker is only as safe as the community surrounding it. The Displaced: David Garcia, a senior manager with a perfect credit score, watches his career evaporate before being funneled into a gig economy that is itself being automated out of existence. The Builder: Ray Washington, a union electrician, sees the physical world go dark as digital office buildings are abandoned. Meanwhile, his son Jamal—holding a suddenly worthless computer science degree—finds himself on the frontlines of The Loom, fighting the machines before helping to build a new underground protocol. The Outsiders: Nnamdi and Priya, an immigrant developer and a data analyst, face the ultimate "Liquidity Snap" as their right to work and exist is revoked by the very algorithms they helped train. The math doesn’t negotiate. Comparable works include Murderbot Diaries, The Martian