Everybody's Business

It's a rapturous time to be in prediction markets, but is the promise of Kalshi and Polymarket to "financialize everything" a net good for society, or is it gambling in sheep's clothing? We actually have centuries of history that points towards a potential answer. From this year's On Air Fest in New York City, Everybody's Business and Pushkin Industries' Business History come together to explain the lengths people will go for a life-changing payday. (Or, at the very least, a tote bag at a podcast festival.)Place your bets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the hours after publishing our Friday episode, President Trump’s global tariffs have been struck down by the Supreme Court. The newsroom has been buzzing over here at Bloomberg, so Stacey called up Jonathan Lieberman, President of New York Customs Brokers to understand what this news means for our pocketbooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While salaries are an anchor in many Americans' lives, billionaires instead rely on investment income and tax avoidance to line their pockets. Professor and author Ray Madoff takes us behind the curtain of the mega-rich and their asset-saving tricks, just as states like California and cities like New York debate how to address their crushing budget shortfalls. Plus, what Generation Alpha thinks about your skinny jeans, and Steven Colbert takes on the FCC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the latest jobs numbers, the economy is on fire, but who is benefitting and who is still struggling? Economist and author Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman joins Max and Stacey to talk about the hidden costs of Black womanhood. And then, business journalist Lauren Sherman follows the thread on why designers and consumers are feeling worn out during New York Fashion Week. Plus, a moonshot ambition and a medieval trend returns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk has long had his eye on Mars, but any real plan appears to be lost in the cosmos. His more immediate ambitions are decidedly more grounded, with the corporate marriage of SpaceX and xAI. Max and Stacey explore what this future conglomerate will mean for the economy with Bloomberg News reporter Dana Hull.  Back on Earth, the biggest sports games in America is pairing up with one of the biggest pop stars of the planet. Bloomberg's Randall Williams joins us from Santa Clara to talk Super Bowl money, Bad Bunny's politics and why the annual event is incredible business for the NFL. Plus, Valentine's Day on a budget, and a cringe-worthy venture targeting Gen Z.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the midst of sub-freezing temperatures in Minneapolis, conflict is heating up between residents and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Meanwhile, a similar battle is brewing between Senate Democrats and Republicans as a pending funding package determines the future of ICE's funding. Reporter Fola Akinnibi joins Max and Stacey to figure out just how much ICE costs to function.Plus, reporter Sarah Frier tells us about a startup that believes it can reverse the declining US population, and two stories about some very precious commodities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump caused some serious whiplash this week. First he called for the US to buy Greenland, and said he would impose tariffs on the European countries standing in his way. But days later, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he seemed to reverse course. Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff and Stacey join Max from the Swiss Alps to make sense of a potential acquisition of the arctic territory. Plus, hold onto your parkas, because Derek Guy (aka "the menswear guy") discusses how America can remanufacture its cool by bringing craftsmanship back stateside. And: Lululemon takes customer transparency to a new level.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had a message for the nation, and President Donald Trump: intimidation has no place at the Central Bank. Stacey sits down with former Fed Chair and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to talk about why this is such a dangerous moment in history and why Powell's two-minute video was so important. Then Bloomberg reporter Ashley Carman joins Max and Stacey in the studio to discuss what Spotify's new CEOs mean for how you'll stream music and more in the future. Plus, Stacey wonders "are you dead yet?" and Max discovers a spicy way to swipe your way to a new job.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in the 1970s, Venezuelans became famous for their glamorous one-day shopping trips to Miami. "Ta barato, dame dos," the saying went. "That's cheap. I'll take two." Nowadays, the bolivar has lost practically all its value. Max and Stacey are joined by David Papadopoulos to understand what exactly went wrong with the Venezuelan economy. How did the country go from being stable and wealthy to experiencing runaway inflation and rampant poverty? Papadopoulos traces it back to fluctuating oil prices, too much spending and the difficulty of adjusting to a new way of life.  Also, Deena Shanker sits down in the studio to discuss her new story on weight loss drugs and their impact on the food industry. To get with the times, some restaurant are offering up small, high-protein meals. But are they any good? The trio digs in to find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businessweek editor Brad Stone joins Max and Stacey to talk about what we could expect from the new year. Leaving such a banner year for odd stories in the rearview mirror, 2026 is bound to include a lot of surprises. Will the imperial presidency continue or fizzle out? Will the AI bubble keep growing or pop? What economic indicators are worth watching? Is there a hot new office trend on the horizon? The agenda is packed. In addition, Stacey attempts to predict the future using mad libs, and Max presents an updated feud ranking for the new year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does one recap 2025? A herculean task by all accounts. In this episode, Max and Stacey collects the best and brightest in business podcasting to see if they can help make sense of yet another norm breaking year. Joining in the studio are Odd Lots' Tracy Alloway, Slate Money's Felix Salmon and Planet Money's Robert Smith. Together, the quintet covers a year full of feuds, CEO tweets, flubs, big personalities and, of course, numbers. They also play a high stakes game called Who is Donal Trump Talking About?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we talk about two of the biggest economic stories of 2025: Buy Now Pay Later and $Trump. First, Amanda Mull stops by to discuss BNPL: why its on the rise, how people use it, potential pitfalls and how it's different than just paying with a credit card. Then, Zeke Faux goes through the implausible story of $Trump - the Donald Trump meme coin launched just a few days before the 2025 inauguration. Faux tells Max and Stacey how the Trump team made an estimated $350 million on the coin, while many investors lost money. Also: tepid jobs numbers and new opportunities in sports for the older parts of the population.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we take a look at Trump's latest AI gambit: letting Nvidia sell their AI chips to China. Will this move help feed AI's growth or is it just another step towards making the bubble all the more explosive when it pops? The Verge's Nilay Patel joins Max and Stacey to get to the bottom of this. Also on this show, Lucas Shaw goes through the ins-and-outs of the complicated fight over Warner Bros. Will Netflix succeed in their bid for the storied media giant, or will it be Paramount with its attempt at a hostile takeover?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We here at Everybody’s Business are big fans of our colleagues and friends over at Big Take, Bloomberg’s daily news podcast. So when they released an episode with our very own Max Chafkin, we can’t resist to share it. Please enjoy, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear!——Excel. If you work in corporate America, that word either inspires laser-focused productivity or pure dread. Over the last 40 years, the spreadsheet software has become synonymous with the best — and worst — of late-stage capitalism. It’s seeped into popular culture and, along the way, made Microsoft one of the world’s most valuable companies.But in a world of AI and new competition where Excel=Sum(39+1), can it stay on top? On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Dina Bass and Businessweek’s Max Chafkin join host Sarah Holder to track the rise and challenges ahead for one of the most ubiquitous programs around.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live from the stage at our Dec. 4 event at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York, Ellen Huet joins Max and Stacey to talk about her recent story on chatbot delusion. As people’s lives get increasingly entangled with AI, cases of intense human-bot connections breaking up families, businesses, and even pushing people to question their own sanity is raising with an alarming rate. They also discuss Huet's recent book Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult. Also, back in the studio, Max and Stacey take a look at puzzlingly positive Black Friday sales.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate Black Friday, this week’s Everybody’s Business is all about two staples of this unofficial US holiday: commerce and football. First, New York Times’ Ken Belson sits down with Max and Stacey to discuss his new book Every Day Is Sunday: How Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell Turned the NFL into a Cultural & Economic Juggernaut. Belson explains how the National Football League has managed to grow into the most valuable sports league in the world and why the game is so perfectly suited for television. Also paying a visit to the studio is Wirecutter’s Annemarie Conte. She breaks down how the popular site manages to dig out and organize such a barrage of deals, and previews what jaded consumers can expect this Black Friday, amid tariffs and trade wars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reporter Max Abelson gives Stacey and Max a primer on the business dealings of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Abelson has sifted through thousands of emails to and from Epstein and explains to Max and Stacey what Epstein's business dealings, both legal and unlawful, really was. He also describes why - 20 years into a career of reporting on money and power - he is taken aback of the cruelty involved. Plus, as America gears up for Thanksgiving, there’s a lot of anxiety about rising food prices. But are the worries warranted? A recent report shows that the average Thanksgiving meal might actually be cheaper in 2025 than previous years. What gives? Deena Shanker joins Max and Stacey to set the record straight. For more information about the first Everybody's Business live event - happening December 4 in New York City -  click here!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the government reopens, the Trump administration introduces a new solution to the American housing crisis—the 50 year mortgage. The idea is getting hammered from the right and the left alike but gets support from at least one person: economist and Bloomberg Opinion contributor Allison Schrager. Can this new concept take some pressure off of struggling first-time homebuyers or will it be yet another white whale in an increasingly impossible financial game? Max and Stacey pick Allison’s brain to find out. Also, Amanda Mull joins in the studio to talk about her new Businessweek cover story on Ulta, which she dubs the " Home Depot of the beauty industry.” While other retailers are struggling, Ulta is thriving as the largest beauty store in America. Does all this success ultimately come down to the so-called “lipstick effect?” Amanda explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Yglesias, author of the Slow Boring newsletter, sits down with Max and Stacey to discuss the recent string of Democratic victories in US elections. The most remarkable happened in New York City, where Democratic socialist Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani will soon be in charge of one of the global capitals of capitalism. Will Mamdani be able to go through with his ambitious agenda or will he soon realize - like many before him - that being a mayor is more about garbage collection than transforming the transit system and launching city-run grocery stores?The duo also talk to The Atlantic’s Ellen Cushing about her recent story on food delivery apps and how they are impacting US food culture and social life.Also, for this week’s underrated story, Max presents a surprising attempt for a government bailout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and Stacey are joined by Leo Feler, an economist with a unique perspective on the Trump administration’s immigration and deportation policies. During a  recent renovation project, Feler’s property was raided by federal agents looking to detain workers they believed were in the country illegally. Feler recounts the dramatic incident and explains how raids like these could have a chilling effect on the US economy. Also on the show, Sean Fennessey, chief content officer of The Ringer, and co-host of The Big Picture podcast joins to debate just how bad of a year this has been for Hollywood.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.