Is Business Broken?

Latest Episodes:

How is Generative AI Reshaping Hollywood? Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving into Hollywood, from visual effects and editing to script development and production workflows. In the realms of creative industries, the question looms large: Is AI a complement to human creativity, or is it a substitute that may eventually replace it?
Host Curt Nickisch unpacks this question and more with BU Questrom professor Carey Morewedge, Roma Murphy, animation writer and co-chair of the AI committee at the Animation Guild, Tim Herrold, a visual effects artist and editor, and Erik Barmack, CEO of Wild Sheep Content.

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Would You Trust a Self-Driving Car? Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Self-driving cars are logging millions of miles in a growing number of U.S. cities. Waymo now wants to test its newest robotaxis on Boston’s narrow streets, rotaries, and snowy roads. But are drivers ready to hand over the wheel to AI? What makes people trust or reject a technology that asks them to give up control? And what kind of future are we really driving toward?

Host Curt Nickisch unpacks these questions and more with BU Questrom professor Carey Morewedge, entrepreneur Basak Ozer, AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop, and App Drivers’ Union leader Mike Vartabedian.

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Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran on Tariffs, Inflation, and Deregulation Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

In recent years, the Federal Reserve has faced down enormous economic challenges: rising inflation, new trade policies, a pandemic, and a weaker labor market. So how much are tariffs really driving price increases? How should we measure inflation in a modern economy? And how has bank regulation reshaped the Fed’s balance sheet and the role it plays?

At a recent live event, Host Curt Nickisch sits down with Stephen Miran, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Previously, Governor Miran chaired the Council of Economic Advisers, where he helped develop much of President Trump’s trade policy.

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Are Boardrooms Ready for the New Geopolitical Reality? Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

Today's episode tackles a challenge facing boardrooms right now: the intersection of geopolitics and corporate governance. For decades, companies followed a playbook built on global integration and efficiency. But now that playbook is being rewritten by trade wars, sanctions, and supply chain disruptions.
So how do boards navigate a landscape where geopolitical risk is the new normal, and where every decision reverberates across shifting borders, markets, and social expectations?
At a recent live event, Host Curt Nickisch sits down with: Ruth Aguilera, Brodsky Trustee Professor in Corporate Governance at Northeastern University; Kevin McGovern, President of the New England chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors; and Roy Shapira, Professor of Law at Reichman University and visiting fellow at the Ravi K. Mehrotra Institute for Business Markets and Society.

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What Does Antitrust Mean in 2025? Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

At its core, antitrust is about reining in concentrated power. But in a world where digital platforms shape our choices and markets evolve, the boundaries of competition and fairness seem to be shifting.
Who truly gets to compete? What keeps markets open and innovative? And how are new technologies testing the limits of rules written for another era?
Today's guests are BU Questrom Professors Dionne Lomax and Cathy Fazio.

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Why Should We Care About Corporate Governance? Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

How might corporate governance shape business decisions, trust, and society at large? In this special student-hosted episode of Is Business Broken?, BU Questrom Undergrad Grant Corbett speaks with BU Questrom Visiting Professor Roy Shapira.

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Why Don't Restaurants Steal Recipes? Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Today, we're diving into a fascinating corner of self-regulation—one that doesn't rely on formal rules or legal protections, but instead on norms. In industries like fashion and fine dining, there are powerful unspoken rules: don’t copy, don’t steal—even when you legally can.
What does it take to sustain trust and collaboration when regulation isn’t there to keep everyone in line?
To discuss, host Curt Nickisch invites to the show Giada Di Stefano, a professor of strategy at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; and Andy King, Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Strategy & Innovation at BU Questrom.

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When Does Self Regulation Become Collusion? Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Last week's show introduced self-regulation, the practice of businesses, setting their own guardrails without government, but what are the limits to private actors policing themselves?
At what point should government intervene in the public interest, and also companies getting together to set their own rules? When does that cross into antitrust territory and become collusion? Host Curt Nickisch speaks to BU Questrom Professor Tim Simcoe and Jonathan Kanter, former Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division in the Biden Administration.

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What Happens When Business Regulates Itself? Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

What happens when business regulates itself, without government? Enter self regulation. Host Curt Nickisch speaks to BU Questrom Professors Andy King and Tim Simcoe about when self regulation works, when it doesn't, and what's at stake for society.

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Vote for "Is Business Broken?" in the Signal Awards! Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Signal Award in the Business category!

We couldn't be more proud of all of our listeners who helped make this possible. And with this nomination, we're up for a Listener's Choice award.

We’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to vote for us: Please vote here.

Thank you so much!

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