Episodes
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This past year Progressive usurped State Farm as the nation’s biggest personal auto insurer, losing a throne State Farm had held since World War II. The shift sparked a dramatic overhaul at the company, including new agent contracts, sweeping benefit cuts and a big push into AI. WSJ's Jean Eaglesham reports on the fallout. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Insuring a Home in California Is Getting Harder
- Is Florida Just for Rich People Now?
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Elias Weiss Friedman, better known on social media as The Dogist, has made a career out of shooting portraits of dogs. Ryan Knutson met up with Elias in a New York City park to talk about photography, social media pressures, and how The Dogist has evolved and expanded over the last decade.
Further listening:
- How to Keep Up with AI At Work (Without Losing Your Mind)
- Financial Influencers on Wealth and Work
- The Viral Band Trying to Sing Its Way to a U.S. Visa
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The stage is set: Spain takes on Argentina in the World Cup final this coming Sunday. WSJ’s Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg discuss the highs, lows and controversies of this year’s tournament, and explain how political interference as well as FIFA’s drive to make as much money as possible have changed the World Cup forever. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- The World Cup Story Part 1: Soccer and Scandal
- The World Cup Story Part 2: Too Big To Fail
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In his first term, President Trump called Jeff Bezos “Bozo.” But things have changed. The Amazon founder has gone from an avowed enemy of the president to an energetic ally. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli unpacks Bezos’ previously icy relationship with Trump and how he has turned things around. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Are Trump and Musk Done for Good?
- Amazon After Bezos
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Apple sued OpenAI and one of its top executives on Friday, alleging the AI company stole trade secrets as part of its effort to develop competing devices. WSJ’s Rolfe Winkler unpacks the explosive filing and explores what it might mean for the tech landscape. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- Tim Cook Built the Apple Empire. What's Next for His Successor?
- Artificial: The OpenAI Story
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Microfinance was once hailed as a miracle cure for global poverty, promising to empower the world's most vulnerable with small business loans. But in countries like Cambodia, the industry has devolved into a cycle of predatory debt that is leaving families struggling. WSJ’s Gabriele Steinhauser explains why this once-celebrated solution has failed so many. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Why Sweden Embraced Capitalism
- Is Jane Goodall Fighting a Losing Battle?
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Over the phone, Paul Regan offered prospective clients something that sounded too good to be true: investments with guaranteed returns of 10-15%. It was all part of a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. WSJ’s Jason Zweig obtained hours of recorded phone calls, in which Regan seduced his victims, who were often older and needed help. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - An Influencer’s False Promise to Make His Followers Rich - Pig Butchering: A Texting Scam With a Crypto Twist Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Artificial intelligence models have taken over the corporate world, and workers are trying to figure out how to collaborate with their new robot co-workers. In this first episode of “Work Mode,” a new series from The Journal on the evolution of work, WSJ’s Callum Borchers shares the strategies that work best and the pitfalls to avoid. And we hear from Michael Rueckert, AI power user who transformed his work life with Claude and leveraged his AI skills into a new start up. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- How AI Is Being Trained to Do Your Job
- Microsoft’s CEO Has a Message: Don’t Let AI Eat the Economy
- The ‘Class of AI’ Enters the Workforce
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Record-breaking egg prices in recent years were blamed on an avian flu outbreak. But a recent Department of Justice complaint spells out another cause: a scheme among some of America’s top egg producers to bid up the cost of eggs. WSJ’s Patrick Thomas explains how they allegedly manipulated the “Wall Street of Eggs.” Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Eggs Are Still Expensive. Is This Company to Blame?
- An Eggspensive Dilemma
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On Tuesday morning, something potentially very scary happened in New York City. Images of buckling steel beams at the former Pfizer headquarters led to a large evacuation in midtown Manhattan. WSJ’s Peter Grant reports on what happened and what this high-profile setback means for the nationwide trend of converting empty skyscrapers into apartments. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- Compass vs. Zillow: The Real Estate Wars
- Who’s in Charge of Fixing Miami’s Aging Condos?
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President Trump’s tariffs, threats against Greenland, and other “America-first” demands have turned away the U.S.’s longtime allies. Now, Western leaders are considering how to decouple from American influence and move forward without the decades-long partnership. WSJ’s Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw explain how this "loveless marriage" is coming apart. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers
- Make Money Not War: Trump’s Plan for Peace in Ukraine
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As Europe experiences record-breaking heat waves this summer, many residents are reconsidering the continent’s long resistance to air conditioning. Europe’s summer high temperatures often cause tens of thousands of people to die from heat-related causes. WSJ’s Matthew Dalton reports that the battle over air conditioning is shaping political debates. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - Germany’s Economy Is Spiraling. Can War Fix It?- Why Sweden Embraced CapitalismSign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Hundreds of social media videos showed people hitting it big on Polymarket. But it turns out, none of it was real. WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff and Katherine Long report on their investigation into a fake viral marketing campaign. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- Insiders Are Cashing In on Prediction Markets
- How Betting on U.S. Politics Is Getting Big
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Celebrities and ultrawealthy people are spending millions on advanced military-style tactics to keep their weddings private, including security, fake-out venues, airtight NDAs and secret tunnels. WSJ’s Chavie Lieber takes us inside the growing wedding security industrial complex as rumors circulate around the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at historic Madison Square Garden. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- The Taylor Swift Ticketmaster Debacle
- Taylor Swift’s Push to Change Music Ownership
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Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella recently wrote a blistering essay criticizing how the race for AI supremacy has played out, and specifically called out tech leaders’ dire prophecies about job losses. Nadella says the industry needs to figure out a path forward that is more beneficial to everyone, not just the biggest AI companies. WSJ's Bradley Olson, who spoke with Nadella in an exclusive interview, says that there might be a business calculus behind his message. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- The Era of AI Layoffs Has Begun
- How AI Is Being Trained to Do Your Job
- The ‘Class of AI’ Enters the Workforce
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The Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s attempt to curtail birthright citizenship, rebuffing the administration’s plans to upend the longstanding guarantee that virtually everyone born on American soil is a U.S. citizen. WSJ’s James Romoser unpacks the unexpectedly close decision, and the other wins conservatives have had at the court over the past year. Jessica Mendoza hosts.
Further Listening:
- Will Trump's Tariffs Survive the Supreme Court?
- How Do You Refund $166 Billion?
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Many small towns across the country added GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to their employee health insurance plans. Now, some of those towns are being hit with huge unexpected premiums as use of the drugs continues to grow. Imani Moise speaks to a selectwoman from Belchertown, MA who helped navigate her town through a devastating bill and WSJ’s Owen Tucker-Smith takes us through the economics for towns around the country.
Further Listening:
- Trillion Dollar Shot
- Novo Nordisk's CEO Has a Comeback Plan
- Ozempic Is a Hit. So Why Is the Drugmaker’s CEO Out?
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This past summer, employees at OpenAI had a meeting. On the table were about 10 cases where users discussed violence. Months later, one of those users committed one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. Sam Altman wrote an apology letter to the devastated town of Tumbler Ridge. WSJ’s Georgia Wells reports on why OpenAI resisted internal calls to alert law enforcement. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- A Troubled Man and His Chatbot
- Artificial: The OpenAI Story
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For 70 years, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have teamed up as fast food juggernauts. WSJ’s Heather Haddon and Laura Cooper explore how changing consumer tastes and increasing competition are challenging their iconic brand partnership. Imani Moise hosts.
Further Listening:
- McDonald’s Wants To Offer Quality And Value. Can It Do Both?
- 'It Came out of Nowhere': The Rise of Dr Pepper
- KFC Got Fried in the Chicken Wars. Can It Come Back?
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Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan died this week at the age of 100. He was a towering figure in modern finance who oversaw unprecedented growth in the US economy. But Greenspan was also blamed for stripping away safeguards that might have prevented the Great Recession. WSJ’s Nick Timiraos explains that while Greenspan retired two decades ago, his ideas are providing a model for the new Fed chairman Kevin Warsh. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- Who Is the New Fed Chair?
- Barney Frank’s Legacy of Financial Reform
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