Slate Money

This week: CEOs and investors at the Milken Institute Global Conference projected optimism about the economy despite the overall feeling of uncertainty brought on by Donald Trump. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, discuss Emily’s reporting from the conference, and the way capitalists have adapted to thrive amid the unpredictability of this administration. Then, they discuss GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen’s surprising bid to buy Ebay and how they think it will play out. And finally, grab your Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Energy Refresher or Sprite® Berry Blast because it’s time to talk about drinks! The hosts get into the economics behind the fancy beverages trend as McDonalds hops on board.

In the Slate Plus episode: What athletes pay for better performance.

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: Google’s parent company Alphabet announced an incredible $110 billion in first-quarter revenue thanks, in part, to the computing needs of the AI boom. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, discuss the shocking earnings report and the reasons to doubt it as a sign of future growth, including the internet’s ever-evolving information economy. Then, they get into Bill Ackman once again trying and failing to make a closed-end fund happen, and why he’ll never be Warren Buffet. Finally they’ll examine the utility of corporate merch, such as Palantir’s french chore coat, and company retreats, like the Plex’s disastrous Survivor-themed getaway.

In the Slate Plus episode: Can you have a Tiktok and a job on Wall Street?

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Money Talks: MIT professor Daron Acemoglu joins Emily Peck to explain his research into pro-worker technologies and how we can not only avoid the AI job apocalypse but also improve workers' lives by shifting the goal of AI from automation to collaboration.

Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: Tim Cook announced he was stepping down as Apple’s CEO after 15 years. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, unpack his unique legacy as the leader of the very beloved, very visible brand. Then, Axios’ Senior Health Care Editor Adriel Bettelheim joins to explain what peptides are and how RFK Jr. is trying to throw the doors open for the undertested wellness trend. And finally, they get into The Onion’s mission to take over the right-wing conspiracy platform InfoWars in the name of parody and paying the victims of Sandy Hook.

In the Slate Plus episode: The Avis short squeeze.

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: Sneaker company Allbirds announced a pivot into A.I. infrastructure. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck explain why this absurd-sounding venture is actually a pretty clever piece of financial engineering. Then, the hosts get into the market surge that put the S&P 500 at a record high. And finally, the courts confirmed what we all knew: Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster are screwing everyone over. The hosts discuss what led to the federal jury ruling that the concert behemoth was acting as a monopoly.

In the Slate Plus episode: The con behind SantaCon.

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.