Quartz Obsession

Sleep: The dreamiest new industry Jul 23, 2024

There’s a lot of money to be made in the business of sleep. Take sunrise alarm clocks, fancy mattresses, REM-tracking wearables, and monthly deliveries of melatonin.

But should we really be investing this much in hopes of catching a few more Z’s?

In the final episode of season 8, we consult a bonafide sleep doctor on the matter and get a physician’s POV on a few questions keeping us up at night:

Why is there such a large market for catching some Z’s?

Can any of these products actually help us find rest?

Why do we need to sleep?

What’s happening in our brains and bodies while we dream?

The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.

Strollers: Pushing the limits of childrearing cache Jul 16, 2024

There are contactless thermometers, the Nose Frieda, co-sleeping. Trends in parenting gear and childrearing practices seem to evolve at faster rates than other sectors, a speed exemplified by a single product: strollers.

While we’ve been engineering ways to wheel children around for centuries, stroller manufacturers can’t seem to stop iterating on their models. Strollers have become a status identifier, a repository for parenting anxiety, and an emblem of consumerism run amok. As doctors and experts gather new research and best practices in childcare, strollers exemplify how quickly it’s all changing.

Strap into episode 5 and get the latest about this new movement in industrial design.

The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.

Airline credit cards: the high-flying loyalty game Jul 09, 2024

From Dubai to Dublin to Dallas and back, air carriers are cashing in on a big business: credit cards.

In fact, analysts note that growth in the sector “significantly outpaces the overall credit card industry.” One carrier alone can profit billions from its cards in a calendar year and, in tandem, build loyalty by tying them up in frequent flier programs.

Why did airlines build out a business line through these little scraps of plastic?

What’s the history of these co-branded cards?

How did credit rewards come to make sky-high profits?

Fasten your seatbelts and put away your tray tables as the fourth episode of season 8 takes off, with a co-pilot who’s made a business of this business: The Points Guy himself.

F1: The global race to the future Jul 02, 2024

As the highest class of international racing for open-wheel, single-seater cars, F1 is worth more than $18B and stands to accelerate even more as a bonafide entertainment business as the Euro-born sport becomes more popular in China, the United States, and other global heavyweights. But F1 also faces its challenges, from new driving tech to adopt to new electrification pressures to confront.

In this episode our Jalopnik colleague Ryan King guest-stars to navigate a few high-speed laps around the past, present, and future of Formula One racing.

The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.

EV chargers: The geographic forces driving electric vehicle adoption Jun 25, 2024

Powering an electric car or truck is designed for people with private garages or who live in a major city with lots of accessible charging stations. Rural and suburban apartment-dwellers can’t just run cords out their three-story windows to juice up their rides through a 140-volt outlet. That would take days.

If we want any shot at transitioning to greener vehicles, how can we turbo-charge access to EVs for everyone?

Get all the answers in our second episode of season 8.

The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.

Drug names: The machinations behind the monikers Jun 18, 2024

Ever heard of Viagra, Rogaine, or Ozempic?

The process for turning a chemical compound into a household name is both a science and an art. In fact, naming a prescription drug can take a manufacturer up to four years, as a set of three monikers per medicine must run the gauntlet of several regulatory agencies.

It all starts with determining a drug’s chemical and generic names — both of which involve established rules. After those are settled, the rest is marketing.

So how do some drugs become memorable? What global trends dominate drug naming? And what happens when a company gets it wrong?

Get all the answers in our season 8 opener.

The Quartz Obsession is produced by Podcast Fast Track, with additional support from Jason Russum, Amy Perry, Liliana Zapata, Juan Palacios, and Lorena Caro. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.

The algorithm: Letters of recommendation Apr 23, 2024

Bought something you don’t need from an ad? Blame it on the algorithm. Disappointing singles on your dating app? Blame it on the algorithm. Come across a post that hits too close to home? Yep, it’s the algorithm. But what exactly is the algorithm, and when did it start shaping how we live digitally? We track the making of the algorithm — starting with ancient Babylonians and Greek mathematicians — to understand the forces filtering what we stream, shop, and see online today.

Video game remakes: Revival of the fittest Apr 16, 2024

Love a game, buy a game. Really love a game, buy a new, improved version of that game. The video game industry knows that you don’t even have to be a die hard gamer to get out your wallet for a chance to recapture the thrill of killing that zombie or discovering that master sword. Plus, there are new technologies to consider — new graphics to enjoy, new storylines to flesh out, the possibilities are endless, and the piles of gold coins keep growing.

Green steel: Structural change Apr 09, 2024

Think of the world’s dirtiest industries and you’re probably thinking along the lines of oil or meat… but the buildings we live in, the bridges we drive on, the cars we drive in, those all involve something pretty nasty. Steel. Traditional steelmaking is a famously dirty process, but we’re here to tell you that there’s a greener way to make the thing that makes all the things.

VR headsets: We're practically there Apr 02, 2024

We’ve long associated virtual reality with escaping to someplace more exciting, but the technology has never quite caught up with science fiction’s promise. But VR headsets’ emerging practical applications are a different kind of thrilling — training workers, helping in healthcare, making the workplace less stressful. All of these are reasons to celebrate, and show that VR headsets actually do have a place in every home and office, without being a means to escape them.

Smart rings: Digital digits Mar 26, 2024

Smart rings have been around for years. And according to some tech experts (and a lot of consumers), they might outlast the smartwatch. These sleeker, less bulky wearables collect more accurate data, often at a lower price point. And the technology has come a long way. But do we really want or need all this information about our bodies? And does having all that information at our, well, fingertips actually help us in any practical way?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Tail lights: Smart signals Mar 19, 2024

You’ve seen the endless sea of red when you’re stuck in traffic. But chances are, you haven’t given the simple tail light much thought. Car designers past and present have, though — and so has Jason Torchinsky, co-founder of auto news blog The Autopian. These signals, which include the lights that indicate a car’s existence on the road, brake lights, and turn indicators, have traveled from oil lamp to bespoke brand signature over the years. All so we can show each other where we are and where we’re going. This episode is guaranteed to change how you think about any road-based journey (and it might involve a little tail light fan fiction, too).

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Trailer: Season 7 Mar 07, 2024

The Quartz Obsession is back for season 7, and this time, host Gabriela Riccardi will talk to guests obsessed with taillights, green steel, virtual reality headsets, and more. Join us on March 19 for a whole new set of topics you won't be able to stop thinking about.

Synthetic Memories: Generating the past Jan 16, 2024

These days, we’ve got photographic evidence of our memories just about everywhere we turn. But what about the memories that you have no way of calling up at the touch of a button or the turn of a page? That’s the case for entire older generations, and one global research project is using artificial intelligence to create images of the memories of early-stage dementia patients. It’s a futuristic technology that recalls the past.

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Drive-thrus: Fastest food Jan 09, 2024

What began with a simple window has become an exercise in efficiency—and fast food chains are always looking for ways to move more people through drive-thrus more quickly. But until recently, the technology hadn’t changed all that much in the past few decades. Now, the age of artificial intelligence has ushered in new ways to shave off valuable seconds. Drive-thrus have become such cash cows that more and more fast food locations are doing away with the in-house dining experience full stop. Will the future of drive-thrus be a dystopian tech-nightmare, or a fast and easy way to get our burgers and fries?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Pro Tools: Making waves Dec 21, 2023

Pro Tools—and other digital editing software like it—has become so entrenched in music creation that attempting to dislodge it would be akin to separating Google from the internet. But what did music-making look like when a studio relied on specialized professionals and expensive equipment? And can Pro Tools, which has now been around for decades, hold its own in a changing world?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Streaming music: Tracking success Dec 20, 2023

It’s late December 2023. The presents are wrapped, the cookies have been set out, and Brenda Lee’s 65-year-old song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has overtaken Mariah Carey’s holiday juggernaut “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on the Billboard Hot 100. Streaming created this bizarre holiday miracle, just like streaming has changed everything about how the entire music industry defines success.

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Seaweed: It’s always greener Dec 19, 2023

There’s no single solution for fixing climate change, but one resource—one slimy, beautiful, underwater resource—has the potential to lend a big leafy hand. When properly put to use, seaweed can be a major carbon sink, a sustainable source for textiles and dyes for the fashion industry, and even a building material. And industry players are starting to dive deep in search of the green gold.

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

GPTs: AI for you and me Dec 18, 2023

In November 2023, OpenAI announced that soon, everyone will have the ability to make their own GPTs—generative pre-trained transformers, little digital brains that can be customized to do any number of complex tasks in mere seconds. If sci-fi novels are to be believed, our lives will change once this kind of technology is at our fingertips, but we’ve been made this kind of promise before. Will humans really have their worlds rocked by GPTs?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Algorithmic hiring: We’re only human May 26, 2023

Hiring is becoming less human. Companies large and small are turning to a suite of automated tools to help them find, recruit, interview, and select the right candidates for open positions. So, the next time you apply for a job, it’s possible that you’ll go through many different phases of the hiring process without ever talking to a real person. What could go wrong?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Public tech bank: A newer deal May 23, 2023

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank sent shockwaves throughout the tech and banking sector. The bank had played a pivotal role with venture capitalists, tech companies, and—in a lofty sense—America’s new ideas. The ripple effects were so enormous, the US government had to bail out depositors while allowing the bank itself to collapse. But what if the government was involved from the get-go? What if there was another option to financing America’s latest and greatest innovations?

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Online voting: Yes or no May 19, 2023

In the US, voting is seen as a civic duty. It’s voluntary, but it’s an act of patriotism and a democratic responsibility. But there are many barriers to voting—one might have to take off from work, find childcare, or travel long distances to cast a ballot. Wouldn’t voting online instantly expand access to millions of people? Perhaps, but only if we can build a system that’s secure enough to handle it.

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Single-use plastics: The message in a bottle May 16, 2023

Everywhere you go, there’s plastic: plastic water bottles, plastic coffee cups, plastic grocery bags... And recycling plastic is notoriously tricky—what do any of those little numbers even mean on the bottom of a container? We’ve long known that single-use plastics are a problem, but why is it so often the duty of consumers to do something about it? And if producers ultimately do start to take real action, how can they make a dent in this pressing environmental problem?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

AI hallucinations: Turn on, tune in, beep boop May 12, 2023

ChatGPT isn’t always right. In fact, it’s often very wrong, giving faulty biographical information about a person or whiffing on the answers to simple questions. But instead of saying it doesn’t know, ChatGPT often makes stuff up. Chatbots can’t actually lie, but researchers sometimes call these untruthful performances “hallucinations”—not quite a lie, but a vision of something that isn’t there. So, what’s really happening here and what does it tell us about the way that AI systems err?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Superapps: There can be only one May 09, 2023

Apple’s early App Store ads famously proclaimed, “There’s an app for that”—anything you wanted to do on your phone, the company insisted, you could do through an app. That marketplace ethos still holds today. But when smartphones came to China, there was just one app that really mattered—WeChat, the self-styled “superapp.” In China, people use WeChat for just about everything, so why did the US and Chinese embrace such different mobile ecosystems? And why is the dream of building a superapp in the West so persistent?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Smart homes: Built to crash May 05, 2023

Making one’s home “smart” may appear to be a logical step for modern dwellings, but with virtual assistants triggered by voice prompts, refrigerators that sense when your food is running low, and vacuum cleaners that zip around your home crashing into walls, we have substituted the home of the past for something altogether different. But is the smart home actually smart? And, if it’s not there yet, what could do the trick?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

The World’s Fair: Tech’s bygone showcase May 02, 2023

Once the globe’s largest festival, World’s Fairs provided a glimpse into inventors’ newest creations, technologies, and human-contrived feats. The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair alone debuted electric irons, sewing machines, and laundry machines, along with the Ferris Wheel and Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope, an early device for displaying motion pictures. So why do we no longer gather at massive exhibitions to show off our latest and greatest inventions? And what does the rise and fall of the World’s Fair tell us about the way technology and society are changing?

Presented by Deloitte

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Trailer: Season 5 Apr 28, 2023

This season, host Scott Nover and Quartz journalists around the world are checking in on how technology will, won’t, or simply shouldn’t change our lives in the next decade.

Credit score: Numbers might lie Mar 28, 2023

In many parts of the world, you’ve got a number attached to your name, and the value of that number acts as a gatekeeper between you and the things you want and need. Credit scores are determined by complicated math done by private companies so that other private companies can decide if they’ll lend to you, and if so how much, and at what rate. With a long history of bias and intractability, and in a global economy that runs on debt, the credit score system works…until it doesn’t.

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Mushroom leather: Fungi saves fashion Mar 24, 2023

Leather is tough to greenify—vegan leather saves animals, but is largely made of petroleum-based plastic that doesn’t biodegrade. Plus, it doesn’t hold a candle to the look, feel, and smell of the real thing. But one day soon, you could be sporting shoes made of fungi, and you may even prefer it to the animal skin variety. The fashion industry just needs to decide it’s time to invest in mycelium.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

The invisible hand: Capitalism's misunderstood metaphor Mar 21, 2023

What drives the global economy? Any student of economics is likely to mention the “invisible hand”—the collective self-interest that acts as the market’s guiding force in a more powerful and beneficial way than government intervention can. Legendary 18th century Scottish philosopher Adam Smith coined the usage of this term, and one major economics textbook popularized it. But a closer look at context suggests Smith was saying something else entirely.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Your chart: A body of information Mar 17, 2023

In the past few years in the US, the transition to digital medical data records has made access to one’s own medical history both easier and, somehow, harder. Your test results are a couple of clicks away—if you remember on what site or app they are, and how to get on it. And the system is so complicated and regulated that in some cases, health providers are still using the humble fax machine to send records back and forth. This is the story of how far the US got with digital medical record keeping in a relatively short time—and how far it still has to go.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Earth observation: Taking the long view Mar 14, 2023

Space business is often associated with rockets, space tourism, and attention-seeking billionaires. But the most impactful industry to launch into space in the past decade doesn’t have much to do with any of the above. Their focus is observing Earth, via the many satellites that we use to monitor what is happening on our planet. From weather patterns to human rights violations to chlorophyll production, there is a lot about the world we can learn by looking in from the outside.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Firetech: A match for Silicon Valley Mar 10, 2023

Wildfires are getting larger, closer to human settlements, and more frequent. America’s west coast is especially vulnerable, which has Silicon Valley paying close attention. Its answer? Firetech, a whole new startup industry focused on developing technology to control and prevent fires.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Green burials: Leave no trace Mar 07, 2023

Humans have been burying their dead for at least 40,000 years. But in the last couple of centuries, especially in Western countries, the practice has become toxic: From embalming fluids to casket materials, burials can contaminate soil and groundwater, and endanger the health of funeral workers. Enter green burials, an industry devoted to handling death in an ecologically sustainable way.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Fusion power: Don't overreact Mar 03, 2023

Nuclear fusion has long been a futuristic power source of sci-fi: clean, non-radioactive, bountiful energy capable of exceeding all of humanity's needs. And a recent breakthrough has shown it's surprisingly within reach. This promising new source of energy could power desalination and better carbon capture, and revolutionize our approach to consumption and climate change.

Presented by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Tree planting: Sowing complacency Feb 28, 2023

Tree planting certainly seems like a wholesome, tidy way to make up for carbon emission. Take a flight? Plant a tree. Emissions: gone. But reforestation has gone from a radical political movement to a convenient corporate gimmick to encourage conscience-free consumption in the age of climate change. But not only is tree planting not that helpful in offsetting carbon emissions—it might even be counterproductive.

Sponsored by EY

Episode art by Vicky Leta

Work Reconsidered: Ambition Nov 03, 2022

Episode Five of our sister podcast: Work Reconsidered from Quartz. We all want to achieve great things. But in the wake of the pandemic, some of us have stopped to reconsider: What's the cost of all this collective desperation to succeed? From treating burnout to resisting oppressive systems, how can we get the things we want in life without sacrificing too much time, energy, and psychological well-being?

Logo by Jo Minor

Work Reconsidered: The four day week Oct 27, 2022

Episode Four of our sister podcast: Work Reconsidered from Quartz. A growing number of companies and countries are experimenting with reducing the number of working days per week from five to four. For many organizations and their employees, there can be clear benefits. But reducing the work week doesn’t affect everyone equally, and that means not everyone wins.

Logo by Jo Minor

Work Reconsidered: Pay transparency Oct 18, 2022

Episode Three of our sister podcast: Work Reconsidered from Quartz. How would you feel if anyone who wanted could look up your salary on a public website? That's the case for the employees of some companies we spoke to for this episode on pay transparency. Making salaries totally transparent is one potential way to erase the persistent unfairness around pay gaps, like those around gender and race; Some countries are legislating, attempting to make it impossible to pay people unfairly. But can knowing too much about our colleagues' pay actually be damaging to our ultimate happiness?

Logo by Jo Minor

Work Reconsidered: Feedback Oct 12, 2022

Episode Two of our sister podcast: Work Reconsidered from Quartz. Giving good, useful feedback is deceptively difficult. Managers aren’t trained to give it, and performance reviews are woefully inadequate, which often leaves employees stuck with feedback that is biased, incomplete, or even threatening. From embracing radical transparency to training managers in the metaverse, here’s how some companies are rethinking feedback by keeping in mind why employees need it in the first place.

Logo by Jo Minor

Work Reconsidered: Office Design Oct 06, 2022

Episode One of our sister podcast, Work Reconsidered from Quartz: After sitting empty for two years, offices are finally getting foot traffic again, which means they’re getting renovations to match. As architects redesign the office for the ways we now use them—for both in-person and hybrid meetings—they’re tossing out the old templates and finally being given room and resources to explore the fundamental question: What makes for a happy and productive work environment?

Episode art by Jo Minor

Transcript

Trailer: Work Reconsidered Sep 21, 2022

TRAILER for our sister podcast, Work Reconsidered from Quartz: We’re in the middle of a work revolution. The pandemic upended our work lives overnight, but we’re still seeing the true impact of that shift. Work reconsidered is Quartz’s newest podcast all about what’s changing about work from the people who are seeing it first hand. Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode.

Logo by Jo Minor

BONUS Best of Obsession Jun 28, 2022

We’ve partnered with Hark Audio, a podcast curation app, to share some of our all-time favorite Obsession show moments. Stay tuned to hear the fascinating stories behind the things we use, eat, and wear everyday—from Google Docs to pasta and perfume to fish sticks. And if you listen on Hark, you can jump from each moment into a full episode.

Try it at harkaudio.com/obsession

Podcasts: Let's get meta Jun 07, 2022

Asynchronous, on-demand talk radio was a bold proposition back in 2004, when podcasts first started making waves. Less than 20 years later, podcasting is a big business. But monetization has its downsides: What began as a freewheeling, do-it-yourself space is evolving into a data-obsessed sector dominated by tech giants.

Sponsored by EY. Is your technology moving fast enough to realize your ambitions? Learn more in the latest EY Tech Horizon Survey: ey.com/techhorizon

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2172700

Inflation: The price isn't right May 31, 2022

Prices for goods from furniture to meat have been steadily rising for months. It’s the most obvious symptom of inflation, which is when money buys less than it used to. But there’s no need to panic: This is far from the first time inflation came for consumers’ purchasing power. The question is, how do you make it stop?

Sponsored by EY.

How can you create a growth strategy where everyone wins? Learn more in EY’s latest report: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/consulting/how-can-you-create-a-growth-strategy-where-everyone-wins

EY Future Consumer Index: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/future-consumer-index

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2171027

Perfume: The strangest supply chain May 24, 2022

Shipping snafus have hit everything from Pelotons to paper towels, and they're coming for perfume. From Chanel No. 5's secret recipe to the modern proliferation of DIY scents, this global industry has supply chains as delicate as the scents captured in its tiny bottles. How does perfume adapt to a changing world?

Sponsored by EY. Discover how EY can help you unlock new opportunities to reframe your future: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/reframe-your-future

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2167846

Dyslexia: Thinking differently May 17, 2022

Though scientists have known about dyslexia for well over a century, education systems still struggle to teach students with the condition. In the English-speaking world, it’s become a great unequalizer, pushing those with means into lucrative careers, and those without to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. But as technology mediates and alters how we read, it could level the economic playing field for people with dyslexia.

Sponsored by EY.

EY Work Reimagined webcast: How to prepare for renaissance and recommitment: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/webcasts/2022/05/work-reimagined-how-to-prepare-for-renaissance-and-recommitment

EY 2022 Work Reimagined Survey: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/workforce/work-reimagined-survey

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2166242

Replacement rate: Counting our chickens May 10, 2022

2.1—that’s how many children every woman “needs to have.” Any fewer, and a country’s population will eventually stop growing, age, and shrink, which could inhibit its economic growth and drain government coffers. But it’s easier said than done: China has been well below replacement rate for some time; India is just hitting that number. What happens to the world when 2.1 stops being a guarantee?

Sponsored by EY

EY Work Reimagined webcast: How to prepare for renaissance and recommitment: https://bit.ly/3MZdDLR

EY 2022 Work Reimagined Survey: https://bit.ly/3P7QzMI

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2162845

Pasta: A global staple May 03, 2022

Pasta's path to pantries all over the world is inextricably tied to Italy, the country that used technology and mass production to turn a homemade food into a commercial product. Even as pasta-makers market an idealized version of the Italian lifestyle to the world and to Italians themselves, some of the things that make pasta the taste of home might be due for a rethink.

Sponsored by EY.

Discover how EY can help you unlock new opportunities to reframe your future.

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2160804

National debt: Acceptable imbalance Apr 26, 2022

As individuals, we know it’s not great to have too much debt. But at the macro level, that narrative falls apart. In fact, most governments need some debt to take care of their people, especially in the wake of a crisis like a pandemic. How a country invests in itself—and how its leaders talk about that investment—says a lot about how it sees its future.

Sponsored by EY

Is your technology moving fast enough to realize your ambitions? Learn more in the latest EY Tech Horizon Survey.

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styled by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2158771

Edible insects: The original superfood Apr 19, 2022

Between lab-grown meat and veganism going mainstream, we're in an age of abundance for alternative protein options. But one hasn’t been getting as much attention as the others: Edible insects, popular in places like Ghana and Mexico, are nutritious, plentiful, and much less damaging to the environment than, say, a steak. What would it take to put insects in more kitchens around the world?

Sponsored by EY.

Learn more about sustainable supply chain research from EY. Is your ESG data unlocking long-term value?

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2156082

Trailer: Season 3 Apr 18, 2022

Trust us, the economy has never been more fascinating.

Sequels: Here we go again Mar 22, 2022

After the release of a great film, it seems natural to us now that they'd want to make another. But this was not always the case. Now that Hollywood seems to almost compulsively turn successful films into franchises, reboots, and cinematic universes, are there good reasons to keep making sequels?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Photo by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2144841

Prosthetics: Upgrade available Mar 15, 2022

Athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics had prosthetics perfectly designed to help them run, jump, or swim as the events required. Now the technology behind those prosthetics is coming to everyday people who need it—and, possibly, to people who don’t. Augmenting able bodies for super-human functions: What could go wrong?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2141719

Disco: Choosing joy Mar 08, 2022

They tried to kill disco, but it will never die. The stubbornly upbeat genre came out of an economically turbulent moment—one to which we see a lot of parallels today. So what is it about a crisis that just makes us want to dance?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Episode art by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2138049

Fish sticks: The ocean's little problem solvers Mar 01, 2022

Fish sticks are more than just an easy way to get kids to eat healthy food. They’re the ocean’s little problem solvers, swimming in to solve a seafood glut after World War II, and to help working parents in need of cheap and easy meals. Now fish sticks might even help solve our latest challenge: an epidemic of global overfishing.

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2133871

Indian weddings: The priciest party of your life Feb 22, 2022

It’s the stuff of Bollywood dreams, come to life—the big fat Indian wedding has withstood the test of time, economic turbulence, social reform, and even modern technology. But when you factor in pent-up pandemic demand, can India’s $50 billion industry possibly keep it up?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Episode art by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2130303

Google docs: Life in the cloud Feb 15, 2022

Google docs has revolutionized the way we work, and now it even functions as a tool for social sharing and political dissent. This is all because the world shifted from saving files locally to storing them in the cloud. But does life in the cloud present risks we aren't thinking about enough?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2127812

Egg freezing: Put it on ice Feb 08, 2022

As more people aren’t sure whether or when to have kids, a growing number of them are turning to egg freezing, a relatively new and expensive procedure that could help women become parents outside their biological bounds. But how realistic is any promise of parenthood entirely on your terms?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Photo by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2122021

Puffer jackets: The price of staying warm Feb 01, 2022

Puffer jackets have been worn by outdoorsmen, rappers, the military, luxury shoppers, and—eventually—everyone. Today, the market is still heating up. But as puffer jackets are worn by more people around the world, the difference between high- and low-end options can be increasingly difficult to parse. Are North Face jackets worth their price tag? Does "puffiness" automatically equal warmth? What do puffers from Prada and Uniqlo have in common?

Sponsored by Alumni Ventures

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2118817

Trailer: Season 2 Jan 25, 2022

A podcast so nice we're doing it (at least) twice. In season two, Kira and Quartz journalists from around the world dig into the fascinating backstories behind everyday ideas, and what they tell us about the forces changing the way we live and work today.

Season 1 recap: Our favorite fun facts Jan 18, 2022

We learned a lot over the course of season 1. Here are some of our favorite nuggets of information.

Six Sigma: Manufacturing perfection Dec 14, 2021

In the early 2000s, GE was the world’s most powerful company, and its CEO Jack Welch was a firm believer in the Six Sigma system for eliminating errors in manufacturing. With GE as its poster child, management consultants spread the gospel of Six Sigma to companies everywhere. Now, as GE’s fortunes diminished, so has interest in Six Sigma. But what made this system so special in the first place, and how much is still useful today?

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2062943

Office chairs: Engineered for extreme sitting Dec 07, 2021

Everyone working from home knows just how painful it is to sit in the wrong kind of chair. Over the course of centuries, the modern office chair has emerged as the pinnacle of ergonomic comfort and support. Today, as a growing number of jobs are behind desks and computers, that design is more important than ever.

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2084580

Japanese whisky: One steep sip Nov 30, 2021

After spending decades in relative obscurity, Japanese whisky is finally getting global appreciation for its masterful flavors. Global demand is high, with prices to match. There’s just one problem: There’s no technical definition of Japanese whisky, or formal system to regulate it. Does it matter if not all Japanese whisky is strictly from Japan?

Episode art: Photograph by Eric Helgas, styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2062940

Rare earths: Scarcity at your fingertips Nov 23, 2021

A group of 17 elements make up a little-known group called rare earth metals. They are notoriously tricky to extract, which is unfortunate since they’re key components in smartphones, batteries, motors, and wind turbines, and essential to a clean-energy future. China has a near monopoly on the mining and processing of rare earth metals, but as demand for them rises, other countries are looking to get into the game.

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2062525

Kudzu: We've made a big mistake Nov 16, 2021

Kudzu, an ornamental vine from Japan, first appeared on US soil in 1876. More than a century later, the plant has proliferated so uncontrollably that it threatens to choke out native plants in the American South. As the world looks for creative solutions to confront climate change, are we fated to keep repeating our same mistakes?

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2084567

Oat milk: Don't call it creamy Nov 09, 2021

If you’re concerned about sustainability and wellness, chances are you’re a consumer of oat milk, the latest star in the alternative milk scene. But does oat milk have appeal around the world? And who will lose out as big dairy muscles into the alt milk space?

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2077496

Business class: Luxury in the sky Nov 02, 2021

Bigger seat, more legroom, even silk pajamas: Flying business class comes with major perks for travelers. It’s also crucial to the entire airline business model. But given the seats’ outsized carbon footprint, how ethical is it to keep flying business class?

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2077489

Afrobeats: A global sound Oct 26, 2021

The beat-heavy, electronic music from Nigeria has been gaining a global fan base and is a point of pride across Africa. It’s also finally helping local artists make real money. But is Afrobeats establishing a path to global domination that other genres can follow, or is an entire continent being reduced to one country’s signature sound?

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2074060

CAPTCHA: Made you look Oct 19, 2021

Those internet security tests that ask you to retype blurry numbers or pick out photos of traffic lights have an important job: They stop robots from gumming up the internet. But by using them everywhere, we’re training computers to see the world like we do, and they’re getting really good at it. What happens as it gets harder to prove our humanity online?

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2060828

Randomness: A need for chaos Oct 12, 2021

The global economy needs true randomness to encrypt messages and make sure elections are honest. But not all randomness is random enough, and humans and computers alike are really bad at generating it. So we turn to natural sources like seismic waves, radioactive decay, and lava lamps (yes, lava lamps) to generate it for us.

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2062955

Cash: We just can't quit you Oct 12, 2021

It’s anonymous, it’s stable, and it’s accepted pretty much everywhere. And despite the rise of mobile payments and the ubiquity of credit cards, it’s still moving everything around us; more cash is in circulation than ever. We talk about the pros and cons of cash in a world increasingly dominated by mobile payments, and try to figure out if cash is here to stay.

Photo by Eric Helgas; styling by Alex Citrin-Safadi

Transcript: https://qz.com/2063471

Trailer: The Quartz Obsession podcast Sep 24, 2021

Let's go down the rabbit hole, together. Coming Oct. 12, 2021.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected