Stay ConnectedA weekly roundup of the most important stories from the worlds of business and finance, hosted by Felix Salmon.Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit https://slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.
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This week: 2025 ended on high for the US stock market but no one seems too pleased with its performance. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, unpack the story of the US markets in 2025, why it was outperformed internationally, and the role AI has played. Then, the hosts discuss how, amid the uncertainty and chaos of Trump’s trade war, Mexico has found a way to come out on top. And finally, 2025 saw a boom for dealmaking with $2.4 trillion in global mergers and acquisitions. Meanwhile, old fashioned conglomerate Berkshire-Hathaway is changing hands with Warren Buffett stepping down at the age of 95. Will the new CEO keep with Buffett’s conservative investment strategy?
In the Slate Plus episode: Food52 & Saks Run Out of Cash
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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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This week: We’re celebrating a year full of hot takes! Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, debate and rate the hottest takes they’ve heard this year — like Elon Musk’s claim that there will be no poverty in the future, the idea that Trump’s tariffs didn’t matter – and the collection of fire takes Felix gathered from around the Bloomberg news room.
In the Slate Plus episode: The hot take that started it all: the $140,000 poverty line.
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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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In this Money Talks: Planet Money’s Mary Childs joins Felix Salmon to share what she learned reporting on how private philanthropy is trying to cope with the influx of need now that USAID is gone. They’ll get into the headaches and heartbreaks charitable organizations Givewell and ALIMA are experiencing after the loss of billions of dollars of humanitarian aid, the practical costs of saving lives, and what you can do to give effectively this holiday season.
Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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This week: The European Commission pushed back its timeline for all EV Europe. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck are joined by Bloomberg’s Global Automotive Editor Craig Trudell who helps understand how and why the global electronic vehicle transition is unraveling. Then, in a twist move, Truth Social parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group, merged with TAE Technologies, a fusion power company. The hosts and Craig unpack the motivations behind the deal for these strange bedfellows. And finally, don’t you just love a familiar, non-threatening protagonist who falls in love with a someone who embodies local virtue thanks to a Christmas adjacent inciting incident? You’re not alone! The hosts and Craig discuss the booming business of Hallmark movie tours in CT and the key factors that go into these wildly popular made-for-tv movies.
In the Slate Plus episode: What’s your dream gift?
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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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This week: Disney has agreed to make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI along with a licensing deal setting limitations on the use of it’s IP on Sora. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss this is a precedent-setting deal and how well OpenAI will actually be able to enforce the terms of the licensing agreement. Then, the hosts examine the likelihood of rumored tech IPOs that could be more than $1 trillion each, including Elon Musk' s SpaceX. And finally, Instacart’s variable prices signal a growing trend toward dynamic pricing for everything from eggs to soccer tickets. The hosts dive into the threat of companies using our personal data to set individual prices and what’s being done to prevent it.
In the Slate Plus episode: Musk and Bezos’s data centers head to space?
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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by Tim Wu to discuss his new book, The Age of Extraction, which breaks down how we ended up with an economy dominated by Big Tech and its purely profit-seeking mindset. They’ll get into the slow erosion of optimism around the internet as a democratizing force, the state of antitrust enforcement in America, and what it might look like if we stop allowing big companies to nickel and dime the public unchecked.
Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week: Netflix has agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck are joined by the New York Times’ Nicholas Kulish to discuss the ricochet effect of such a massive media merger on the film and television industries. Then, Michael and Susan Dell have announced a $6.25 billion donation to the so-called “Trump accounts” for children. Nick, who has been covering the story, helps the host unpack the motive behind this unusually massive donation and what these accounts represent to various parties. And finally, The Guardian has revealed wide-spread and insidious consumer-fraud at Dollar General and Family Dollar. The hosts and Nick dive into how the massive dollar store chains are ripping off their already financially stretched customers.
In the Slate Plus episode: Is Zootopia the future of cinema?
Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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This week: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee joins Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck for an in-depth discussion on what exactly the Fed does. They’ll get into how voting and deliberation works at the FOMC, the different eras of the Fed’s communication strategy, his response to the Fed haters, and Data Dogs vs Data Cats.
In the Slate Plus episode: Austan Goolsbee Interview Post-Mortem.
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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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In this Money Talks: The Wall Street Journal’s Heather Haddon joins Emily Peck to unpack her recent reporting on the fast food industry, including the reason we’re seeing the “Value Wars” play out at places like McDonalds and Chili’s, Starbuck’s strategies to revive sales, and the intense drive-thru operations research being done by Chik-fil-A.
Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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This week: Larry Summers has stepped down from his public positions following the release of unsavory emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss Summers’ correspondence with the infamous sex trafficker, the veracity of his “genius” reputation, and his beef with Felix. Then, Meta has won its anti-trust case, highlighting the current struggle to regulate Big Tech. The hosts examine the landscape of anti-trust efforts in the US and whether it is the correct tool for regulating tech behemoths. Then, everyone is talking about the “AI bubble” right now, but what does that actually mean? The hosts break down the state of the AI market and whether or not calling it a “bubble” is the right way to think about it.
In the Slate Plus episode: Thanksgiving Hot Takes!
Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.
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