Slate Business

The psychedelic renaissance is here. But not everyone’s on board.

Guest: John Semley

Host: Sonari Glinton

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This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Edmund Lee of the New York Times to discuss why it’s so hard to understand what inflation actually is, why Goldman Sach’s Marcus and other digital banks just aren’t working, and the surprising sale of Reorg for a cool $1.3 billion.

In the Plus segment: Elon Musk selling tons of his Tesla stock.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Crypto mining is booming in Texas. Will the power grid be able to handle it?

Guest: Russell Gold

Host: Sonari Glinton

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With an ongoing labor shortage, companies turn to third-party labor brokers to fill jobs. But with little oversight and a surge of immigrants, the line between “ recruiter” and “ trafficker” gets blurred as vulnerable children are sent to work in dangerous conditions. 

Guest: Mica Rosenberg, national immigration reporter for Reuters.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do he...

It makes intuitive sense for companies that develop a technology to hold its intellectual property rights. But in the case of vaccines and medical treatments, IP laws slow down manufacturing and distribution and give private companies the power to make huge decisions that affect public health globally.

Guest: Zain Rizvi, researcher for advocacy group Public Citizen, specializing in pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicine.

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the merging of HBOMax and Discovery+, a new study on the effect of abortion restrictions on women’s wages, and people paying to be on podcasts.

In the Plus segment: Lobster rolls.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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The US has been in a housing shortage for decades. Can it ever be fixed?

Guest: Conor Dougherty

Host: Emily Peck

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Elaine picked up watercolor painting during her two year, cross country RV adventure with her family. She quickly fell in love with gorgeous nature scenes and found the creative process meditative and healing. But now she’s wondering if her art could be something more. On this episode of How To!, multitalented artist Aaron Dworkin has tips for Elaine and other aspiring artists on how to live a ‘portfolio life’ by finding your signature style, following your passions and ultimately getting paid. He also shares insights for unlocking your creativity even if you don’t fancy yourself an artist. 

If y...

Researchers have untangled a world of illicit trade that threatens ecosystems and endangers species.

Guest: Dr. Alice Hughes, Richard Stewart

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the merits of the Inflation Reduction Act and Larry Summers’ role in moving it along, the low GDP numbers, and a listener question about corporate landlords.

In the Plus segment: This week’s Slate piece on the sham that is college financial aid.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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In buying One Medical, Amazon is primed to be your doctor. Are they disrupting health care, or just collecting more data?

Guest: Rebecca Pifer

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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On today’s show: more scams! Rachelle is joined by Daily Beast entertainment editor and former Slatester Allegra Frank; the two discuss the launch and social media rollout of the new multi-level marketing company Elomir. Later in the episode they examine how, despite the abundance of information on MLMs predatory nature, they still manage to pull people in.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Daisy Rosario and Kevin Bendis.

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What do we lose if we lose the mall? 70 years into their existence, these hulking temples to commerce are surprisingly resilient and filled with contradictions. In this episode, Alexandra Lange, the author of the new book Meet Me at the Fountain: an Inside History of the Mall walks us through the atriums, escalators, and food courts of this singular suburban space. We also hear from mall-goers whose personal experiences help us make sense of this disdained yet beloved, disappearing yet surviving place.

This episode of Decoder Ring was written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin...

Toronto’s Quayside project is a telling example of how smart cities have failed. Could it also show how to make them better?

Guest: Ben Green, Jennifer Keesmaat

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical, the complications of start-ups offering loans to employees against their stock options, and Evan Osnos’ New Yorker article on the rise of the superyacht.

In the Plus segment: Why are Facebook and Instagram so bad now?

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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The continent's deadly heat wave is only the tip of the melting iceberg.

Guest: Henry Grabar

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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Thenmozhi Soundararajan was scheduled to give a talk at Google for Dalit History Month. It led to vicious attacks against her from some of its employees.

Guest: Thenmozhi Soundararajan

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Elon Musk vs Twitter, the big banks getting big texting fines, and the ethically questionable academic study funded by Uber.

In the Plus segment: The Gates Foundation

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Dysfunction is nothing new to Twitter. But Elon Musk pulling his offer to buy the company adds a new layer of chaos.

Guest: Alex Kantrowitz

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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There's still a lot unknown about COVID's new wonder drug.

Guest: Rachel Gutman-Wei

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss this week’s good jobs report versus the bad economic vibes, Boris Johnson’s ousting as Prime Minister, and the stark decline in the quality of air travel.

In the Plus segment: What are the odds that two former FBI directors would be audited?

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Climate change is causing unprecedented severe weather. Is the agency prepared for it to get worse?

Guest: Craig Fugate and Ashley Nerbovig

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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According to the Justice Department, there’s a right way — and a wrong way — to be a hacker.

Guest: Josephine Wolff

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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In the past month, customers of the meal delivery service Daily Harvest have been suffering from gastrointestinal distress after eating the company’s French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, and some have even required surgery. The company is currently investigating the cause of these medical issues but has yet to find anything conclusive. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison speak to Luke Pearson, an influencer who received the product in a PR package from Daily Harvest and has since had to have his gallbladder removed. They discuss his medical journey, what it was like finding a community online that was also...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the repercussions of states banning abortions, Lydia DePillis’ piece in The New York Times about the decline of coupons, and the artworld scandal over some fake some Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings.

In the Plus segment: Stores have too much stuff and no one is buying it.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Social media makes mental health information accessible. But it's not a perfect solution.

Guest: Lindsay Lee Wallace

Host: Mary C. Curtis

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Fidelity made headlines when they announced you could invest your retirement savings in Bitcoin. Then the crypto market crashed.

Guest: Anthony Lee Zhang

Host: Sonari Glinton

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The openness of the internet is its greatest strength. Or a glaring weakness, depending on who you ask. Does something need to change?

Guest: Jared Schroeder

Host: Sonari Glinton

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the Fed raising interest rates by 75 basis points, the crypto crash, and Revlon filing for bankruptcy. 

In the Plus segment: Kraken 

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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She wanted to be an icon for working women. What went wrong?

Guest: Sheera Frenkel

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss everyone’s premature bad vibes about the economy right now, financial literacy programs in high schools, and Larry Ellison’s Hawaiian island.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Thanks Avast.com!

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Sheryl Sandberg’s exit from Meta, how the war in Ukraine is affecting the international food supply, and Queen Elizabeth’s Platy Jubes.

In the Plus segment: Emily nerds out on the CPI

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Schools have spent millions to detect threats online. It mostly doesn’t work.

Guest: Arijit Sen

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk to David Gelles of the New York Times about his new book The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America—and How to Undo His Legacy. They discuss the infamous former CEO of GE and his lasting negative effect on the American corporate landscape. 

In the Plus segment: More with David Gelles. 

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

David Gelles is an author and a corr...

In 2004, the indie flick Sideways was released in just four theaters, but it had a big impact, earning five Oscar nominations and $110 million worldwide. “I thought it was just going to be a nice little comedy,” filmmaker Alexander Payne tells us. Instead, the movie became known for something else so notable that it has a name: The Sideways Effect. 

In this episode, we explore all the outsized effects of this one little movie on the huge wine industry. Did a single line of dialogue really tank merlot sales for decades? Did an ode to pinot noir jumpstart deman...

When Betsy joined her last workplace, she thought it was a perfect fit. It was on a list of Best Places to Work and she got to be creative while helping people. But as the startup rapidly grew, the company culture changed and Betsy started to lose herself amid the stress. Then she got laid off. Honestly, Betsy was relieved, but now she’s gotta figure out what’s next. On this episode of How To!, we bring on James Altucher, author, podcaster, and all-around interesting person. He’s both created successful companies and failed a number of times. He has...

In the early 2000s, an arms race broke out in the world of men’s shaving. After decades with razors that had only one blade and then decades with razors that had only two, the number of blades rapidly spiraled up and up and up.

It’s a skirmish sometimes referred to as The Razor Blade Wars, and it was a face-off about innovation, competition, capitalism, masculinity, and most of all, how strange things can become after you’ve created something that’s the best a consumer can get — and then you have to keep going.

Some of...

We’re wrapping up Season 2 of The Relentless with two special guests who epitomize the emotional intelligence and personal commitment needed to create extraordinary experiences for customers. Gary Vaynerchuck, known to millions as Gary Vee, has had remarkable success as an innovative entrepreneur, investor, author, and podcaster. His new book Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success explores the self awareness and emotional skills that are crucial for success in any business. Later, we hear from Eddie Berenbaum, co-owner and president of CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty. Eddie discusses the importance of loving what you do, an...

Hey Thrilling Tales fans, we wanted to introduce you to another show you might like! Join journalist, host and amateur detective Ben Baskin as he goes on an intrepid quest to solve various sports mysteries in Lost in Sports, a new podcast from Religion of Sports and PRX. In every episode, Ben will explore the mysteries of the lost, the forgotten and the disappeared. And you’ll never know where his journey will take him as he chases down answers to some of the biggest questions in sports history— and some you never thought to ask. Lost in Sports is n...