Big Take

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Latest Episodes:

Inside the Deal That Held Off the Dock Workers Strike Oct 05, 2024

Show notes

Shipping ports all along the East Coast and Gulf Coast shut down earlier this week, as the 47,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association went on strike. Their demands: A pay raise of nearly 80% over 6 years and strict limits on the use of automation in the nation’s ports. Shipping companies refused and worries mounted that the strike could drag on for weeks, creating gridlock at the ports, and recreating some of the pandemic-era supply chain snarls.

But dockworkers and shipping companies struck a temporary deal late Thursday. Today on the Big Take, Sarah Holder and reporter Laura Curtis talk through the details of the deal, why the White House got involved and who the winners and losers are.

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US Tech Is Helping Guide Russian Missiles Into Ukraine Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

After a Russian missile hit the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian investigators found the navigation system had components made by four Western companies, including two in the US.

Today on the Big Take, Bloomberg reporter Stephanie Baker talks to host David Gura about how these components are making their way to the battlefield and what steps the US government is taking to try to prevent that from happening.

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The Escalating Conflict in the Middle East Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

Iran attacked Israel for the second time in five months Tuesday, with a volley of missiles coming hours after Israel launched a ground incursion into Lebanon.

Today on the Big Take, Bloomberg’s Dan Williams, a reporter in Bloomberg’s Jerusalem bureau, and Joumanna Bercetche in Dubai join host David Gura to talk about the latest on the Middle East and what that means for the region – and the US.

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The Investment Strategy Behind Harvard’s Record Endowment — and How It Fell Apart Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

Harvard University’s endowment fund is larger than the endowment of any other university on the planet. That’s, in part, because of a pioneering investment strategy. But in recent years, the returns haven’t measured up to rival universities like Yale or Brown.
Bloomberg’s Janet Lorin joins host David Gura to talk about how Harvard University’s early edge seems to have waned in the midst of changing leadership and strategies.
Read more: Harvard’s Not-So-Smart Money: Two Decades of Poor Returns and Rich Pay
Further Listening:

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China’s Economic Crackdowns Are Crushing the Dreams of a Generation Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

This week, China’s central bank announced a stimulus package designed to revive the economy, cutting an interest rate and reducing the amount of money banks need to hold in reserve.
But the country’s ongoing drive to upgrade its struggling economy has left millions of people facing job losses or pay cuts, fueling an existential crisis among some of its best and brightest workers.

On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Lulu Chen about the impact Xi Jinping’s push is having on professionals, from banking to tech, and what this anxiety could mean for the outlook of the world’s second-largest economy.

China Unleashes Stimulus Package to Revive Economy, Markets
Further listening:

Why China’s Investment Bankers Are Breaking Up With Capitalism

What Does China’s Economic Slowdown Mean For the Communist Party?

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Private Equity, But for Dying Universities Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

Skyrocketing tuition costs, COVID and fewer high school graduates have been straining the survival of smaller American colleges, leading many to shut down. Now, some are joining a surprising new path: mergers and acquisitions.
Bloomberg reporter Francesca Maglione sits down with Big Take host David Gura to discuss why some colleges are eager to merge with others, and what this new dynamic might mean for the future of higher education.

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Could the Chinese Yuan Ever Replace the US Dollar? Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Talk of de-dollarization has been gaining momentum among China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa in the wake of significant US led sanctions on Russia. Former US President and candidate Donald Trump has said the currency is under attack — and that any country that shuns it would face new tariffs on imports if he is elected.

On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin about the unique role the dollar plays in the world economy — and what, if anything, could replace it.

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The Pager Attack Was a Deadly Warning About Supply Chains Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

Fighting has escalated in the Middle East after thousands of pagers and walkie talkies held by Hezbollah operatives exploded across Lebanon last week. That attack is the most recent example of supply chain interference — a global problem that national security officials say is now “rampant.”

Bloomberg cybersecurity reporter Katrina Manson and defense and intelligence reporter Peter Martin sit down with Big Take host Sarah Holder to break down what we know about how and when the Hezbollah pagers were turned into bombs — and what countries like the US and China are doing to protect their supply chains from foreign infiltration.

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The Genius Minds Behind the World’s Best Poker Bots Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Computers have outplayed humans in chess and Go for decades. But poker was long considered unhackable. The game requires not just crunching numbers, but creativity and complex strategy. That only started to change about 10 years ago, when a new generation of unbeatable poker bots began to appear online.
The makers of the technology remained in the shadows, so Bloomberg’s Kit Chellel set out to find them. On today’s Big Take podcast, he joins David Gura to share the story of how a group of Russian students invented the world’s best online poker bots and what that means for the multi-billion-dollar industry.

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California’s Controversial AI Bill Could Upend the Industry Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

A controversial AI safety bill was just passed by California’s legislature. It’s been spurned by OpenAI and Nancy Pelosi, championed by Elon Musk – and could radically reshape the future of the technology’s development not just in the state, but globally.
On today’s podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with California State Senator Scott Wiener, the author of SB 1047, about why he thinks California needs to take a lead in regulating AI. And Bloomberg tech reporter Shirin Ghaffary explains why even if the bill is vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the questions it has raised about AI regulation could be long-lasting.

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