Everybody's Business

AI slop detection software is here, but is it a magic bullet or a glorified spam filter? Businessweek contributor Vauhini Vara joins us to talk about what it means to be flagged as a robot in a human world. Plus, there's never been more money in professional sports. With financial scandals plaguing both of LA's NBA teams right now, Bloomberg’s Randall Williams explains how players and fans are being affected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From courtrooms to credit markets, AI’s bill is growing and someone has to pay. First, can AI be considered a co-conspirator in breaking the law? Businessweek contributing writer Evan Ratliff joins the show to explore this new age of crime and punishment — and what 14th century pigs have to do with autonomous agents. Plus, the bond market is boiling due to AI companies funding their ambitions. What does that mean for your mortgage, car loans, and credit cards? Bloomberg executive editor David Papadopoulos has you covered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wearable tech like smart glasses are currently being banned in establishments across the country and publicly shamed by artists such as Lorde. But Apple, as part of their upcoming product strategy, believes they figured out how to avoid the backlash. Will you soon be wearing cameras on your face and ears? Tech wiz Mark Gurman joins Max and Stacey to explain. Plus, what does it mean for the future of public health when the scientific method is not to be trusted, and prediction markets have started to ban users - including a former member of the House of Representatives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America's latest round of tariffs on Canadian goods could mean Americans are about to pay way more for everything from dairy to toilet paper. This week, we investigate the possible fallout from a trade war across the northern border. Plus, we take a closer look at the jewelry business, where Stacey found a market whose prices are actually falling. Are lab-grown diamonds forever? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gasses from hot garbage juice are threatening to make their way out of landfills, but if that’s not also a metaphor for how the economy feels right now, have we got news for you. Join us for a ride, 250 feet above New York City, where economist Allison Schrager takes on the Stagflation Challenge. And then, back on solid ground (or more like underground), Businessweek senior editor Laura Bliss exposes the dangers of overheating landfills. Everything is fine, promise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Computer, create a banger about this month’s computer accessories CPI numbers with big bass and funny lyrics. Make no mistakes. The memory chip shortage is here. Should businesses cheer or should consumers fear? Max and Stacey supply the facts about business interests in AI, especially when it comes to making the music that makes us laugh and cry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s daily news podcast Big Take recently released an episode about the increasing amount of credit card disputes in the US, and how the phenomena of “friendly fraud” plays a part in that rise. Please enjoy, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear! ——————— American consumers disputed nearly 30% more credit card transactions in 2025 than they did just four years earlier. Some of those “chargebacks” are legitimate issues or outright scams. But increasingly, many are what Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Amanda Mull says is friendly fraud — transaction disputes that aren’t completely honest or the retailer’s fault. On today’s Big Take podcast, Mull joins host Sarah Holder to discuss the sharp rise in chargebacks, and the consequences of this trend for retailers, banks and consumers. Read more: Credit Card Holders Are Using ‘Friendly Fraud’ to Get Back at Retailers We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Amanda Mull; Edited by Naomi Shavin. Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Sean Carter. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, there’s a lot to digest. Max and Stacey dig into the recent elections in Michigan and what this means for the future of political spending with Businessweek correspondent Wes Kosova. Plus, Deena Shanker unpacks the image problem at the Department of Health and Human Services with the cyclospora outbreak, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new cooking show and cuts to SNAP funding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There don't seem to be many safe places for investors to turn now that fears about the business models underpinning AI have made the phrase "Magnificent Seven" sound kind of sarcastic. What can Main Street investors do to protect themselves? Plus, as businesses reckon with the latest wave of US tariffs, we hear the latest from a company battling the Trump administration in court. And lastly, prediction markets are becoming far more entwined with politics. What will this mean for elections in the fall? Place your bets... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the economy takes us on a long trip of its own. Rockefeller International's Ruchir Sharma guides Stacey and Max through the siren sound of tariffs, populism and a bubble that may soon pop. Then, AI companies chart a course into an unexpected harbor: merch, with Bloomberg's Sarah Frier joining to explain why OpenAI, Anthropic and Palantir are suddenly selling apparel instead of just algorithms. Plus: a Florida shop paying for pizzas with pythons, and Elon Musk wants an anti-woke Odyssey See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Things are feeling a bit scammy lately, and it makes sense because it’s coming right from the top. Max and Stacey talk with Bloomberg Opinion senior executive editor Timothy L. O’Brien about America’s “Grifter-in-Chief”. Plus, Bloomberg senior reporter Randall Williams breaks down why soccer fever has finally caught hold here, and food reporter Deena Shanker is on the case of the missing generic Triscuits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’re not imagining it: things are a lot worse than they used to be. From movie theaters to bowling alleys, there’s a drop in quality places to have a good time. Max and Stacey chat with Bloomberg reporter Ben Steverman to figure out why fun is now a luxury good. Plus, with rising heat and demands on the grid by power-hungry data centers, what does the future look like for energy consumption? Bloomberg reporter Naureen Malik has the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s daily news podcast Big Take recently released an episode about older workers ditching retirement, the subject of a recent Businessweek story by our very own Stacey Vanek Smith. Please enjoy, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear! ——————— For a growing number of older workers, retirement is no longer feeling so achievable—or appealing. But staying in the workforce or going back to work in your 60s and 70s comes with challenges, for workers and companies. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Stacey Vanek Smith talks to the World Economic Forum’s Haleh Nazeri about the factors driving the rise in so-called ‘unretirement.’ And we hear from David Lloyd, a radio presenter who’s trying to give other Boomers a later-in-life career boost. Read more: When the Best Retirement Is No Retirement at All We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Hosted by Stacey Vanek Smith; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Stacey Vanek Smith; Edited by Aaron Edwards. Fact-checking by Victor Swezey; Engineering by Emma Munger. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With an increasing amount of polarization and conflict , the 250th anniversary of America has been a cultural flashpoint with high-profile museum openings, big tent attractions, and nation-wide programming meant to bring the country together. But with so much focus on the future of the United States, it’s a perfect opportunity to rewind the clock and ask ourselves: “Have we been through this before?” Dan Carlin, host of Hardcore History , has been doing just that for two decades. His show, known for lengthy episodes that dive deep into world wars and fallen empires, have gained a cult following through his consistency, research, and narration style that brings listeners deep into the recesses of history books and encyclopedias to add an ounce of clarity to our present day. For a special bonus episode of Everybody’s Business, Dan joins co-host Max Chafkin for a conversation about what we can anticipate from America centuries from now, based on the political entities that came before it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time to call an emergency board meeting for America, Inc. The country is celebrating its 250th anniversary, and in the wake of groundbreaking Supreme Court rulings, controversial gatherings, and shifting rights, it’s been quite a turbulent time to be an American. Stacey Vanek-Smith and Brad Stone sit down with Martha Gimbel of the Yale Budget Lab and Bloomberg’s Laura Bliss to discuss what patriotism means in our current moment while uncovering the fireworks among the smoke. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to lead a big company now? This week on Everybody’s Business, Max Chafkin and Brad Stone rifle through the medicine cabinet of the most important pharma giant in the world, and uncover the growing resentment towards CEOs of all stripes. Zip up your fleece vest and strap on your understated sneakers, because there’s no worse time to be in the corner office. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Skyrocketing stocks, eye-watering prices, looksmaxxing bodybuilders, this is the summer of huge markets both legal and illegal. This week on the show, Stacey and Max solve the case of the $8 ice cream cone, learn about the dicey gray market of peptides, and discover why you should always check your LinkedIn messages. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we're sure you know, we here at Everybody’s Business are big fans of our friends over at Big Take, Bloomberg’s daily news podcast . They recently released an episode about Meta's precarious AI data center journey, the subject of a recent Businessweek story. Please enjoy, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear! —— By many metrics, Meta is falling behind in the AI race. So CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building one of the largest data centers in the world — a facility the size of about 3,000 football fields in one of the poorest regions in the US. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg reporter Riley Griffin, who traveled to Richland Parish, Louisiana, to hear from residents about the risks and opportunities they see as Meta comes to town. Will they reap the benefits? Or trade in one uncertain economy for another? Read more: Meta Goes Big on the Bayou We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Riley Griffin; Edited by Aaron Edwards. Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Alex Sugiura. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and Stacey have caught the fever of Big Money. What does this moment of thousand-dollar sporting event tickets and trillion-dollar AI IPOs mean for middle class and retail spending? Bloomberg’s Katie Greifeld and Randall Williams join the show to make sense of the numbers. Plus, a theory behind the declining birth rate and a late-capitalist fragrance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is YouTube the new film incubator? In the wake of two hit movies from internet native directors, Max, Stacey, and Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw figure out if the buzz around Backrooms and Obsession is a trend or a fluke. Plus, we check in on the Iran conflict and China’s role in it with Javier Blas, some clumsy alleged insider trading, and a couple different instances of international art theft. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.