Will the Rich Grab All the Power in the “Age of the Drone”?

Contrary to Noah Smith, I doubt it. If you look at it as one poor person with a handful of drones vs. one rich person with an abundance, then it's clear the rich person will win. If you look at as the poor as a class vs. the rich as a class, then it's more balanced. In particular, it's unlikely the “1%” will be able to confiscate the property of the “99%” on a large scale. If the top 20% have half the income, we can expect them to have half the drones if a civil war between the classes breaks out. At $1 one vote, the relatively well off will be more powerful than today but not all powerful. I'm more worried about oppression by the 20% (zoning laws, eminent domain, and occupational licenses) than by the 1%.

One last point, nearly everybody in the U.S. is in the top 20% by world standards.