Actually, this does bring up an interesting question regarding economics. If goods cost nothing to produce, why would it be necessary to pay for them?
Many people seem to forget that the present economic system(s) did not exist until fairly recently in human society. A money based economy, which began at the Renaissance, is nothing more than one possibility.
We are faced today with inventing a new system unlike the past. This may scare some people, but humans have done it before and there is no reason to think we can't again. The fact is, we must. The present economic methods have run their course. We are going to have to stop worshiping money as if it were all there is to make things work.
I've been thinking about something along those lines when it comes to the possibility of building an economy based on the development of fusion power. When the source of energy is virtually limitless and the cost per unit of energy falls dramatically, the need for most forms of manual labor and most workers would be nearly eliminated. What happens then? Hence my reference to "Player Piano", which I seem to recall (and must re-read) having that general theme.
well I assume you do know why Nikola Tesla inventions were shot down, lost a bit to history?
Nikola Tesla - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If they really worked as touted, what would stop someone with bringing them to market now? I put that in the same category as the 100 mpg automobile.