The Story of Money

Latest Episodes:

Coming soon: Superintelligent AI Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

In a new series of Tech Tonic, FT journalists Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill look at the concerns around the rise of artificial intelligence. Will superintelligent AI bring existential risk, or a new renaissance? Would it be ethical to build conscious AI? How intelligent are these machines anyway? The new season of Tech Tonic from the Financial Times, drops mid-November.

Presented by Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill. Senior producer is Edwin Lane and producer Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive produced by Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

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Will the union ‘renaissance’ last? Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

In the US, nearly half a million people have gone on strike this year demanding better pay, working conditions and job security. With the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent Taylor Nicole Rogers, we’re zooming in on the strategies that three major labour movements have used in recent months to try and secure new contracts, and whether their efforts could signal a new era of power for unions in America.

Clips from Associated Press

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For further reading:

US carworkers suspend strike after reaching tentative deal with GM

How ‘true believer’ Shawn Fain reignited pro-union fervour in Detroit

Hollywood strikes take $5bn bite out of California economy

Teamsters boss vows tougher line in US labour talks

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On X, follow Taylor Nicole Rogers (@TaylorNRogers) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Big Oil’s big bet Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

In October two US oil and gas giants announced massive deals: Chevron bought Hess, and ExxonMobil acquired Pioneer Natural Resources. These deals expand each company’s operations and secure their access to more oil for decades to come. But recent forecasts say global demand for fossil fuels will soon reach its peak. The FT’s Myles McCormick looks at why these companies are betting oil demand will stick around and whether that bet will pay off.

Clips from Yahoo Finance, Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg

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For further reading:

Oil megadeals usher in an age of energy uncertainty

Dealmakers see Chevron-Hess tie-up as the start of oil ‘arms race’

The race to be last man standing in Big Oil

‘Jewel in the crown’: Chevron follows Exxon to Guyana’s oil riches

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On X, follow Myles McCormick (@mylesmccormick_) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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How Microsoft bagged Activision Blizzard Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

In the 1990s, Microsoft was seen as a tech industry bully. Once viewed as combative and ruthless in the eyes of regulators, the company underwent an image makeover in the decades since. Now, the FT’s Richard Waters explains how Microsoft’s transformation pushed their $75bn acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard over the line earlier this month.

Clips from Activision Blizzard

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For further reading:

How Brad Smith used Microsoft’s $1bn law and lobbying machine to win Activision battle

The newfound influence of the UK’s competition watchdog

US v Microsoft: who really won?

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On X, follow Richard Waters (@RichardWaters) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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‘Dumb Money’ writers on the GameStop saga Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

It has been more than two years since GameStop’s stock caught fire on social media, at one point rising 135% in one day. The new film Dumb Money chronicles how the GameStop saga played out. The FT’s Ethan Wu sits down with the movie’s writers, Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum, to get a behind-the-scenes look at everything that went into the film.

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For further reading:

Well, actually: Our ‘Dumb Money’ movie review

Dumb Money film review —GameStop short-selling comedy hedges its bets

GameStop: from YouTube to Wall Street to Hollywood in Dumb Money

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On Twitter, follow Ethan Wu (@ethanywu) & listen to Unhedged here!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus: Michael Lewis on FTX & Sam Bankman-Fried Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

This week, we have a bonus episode for you, live from the FT Due Diligence Forum in London. FT chief features writer Henry Mance sits down with author Michael Lewis to discuss his new book, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon, an all-access account of Sam Bankman-Fried before his crypto exchange FTX collapsed. This conversation was recorded on October 11 2023.

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For further reading:

What Michael Lewis got wrong about FTX

Michael Lewis on how Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX fell — book review

How to beat Sam Bankman-Fried at trading when you’ve already lost

The SBF trial is a reminder that crypto is a rotten business

Many people longed to believe in Sam Bankman-Fried

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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FTC versus Amazon Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

In its latest fight to curb the power of Big Tech, the US Federal Trade Commission has sued Amazon. The regulator says the e-commerce giant has become such a big monopoly that its practices are hurting consumers and the third-party sellers that rely on its services. The FT’s San Francisco correspondent Camilla Hodgson explains what this case could mean for the company’s future.

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For further reading:

Amazon’s most prominent antitrust critic makes her case

What Lina Khan’s antitrust case could mean for Amazon

Amazon & the FTC

Amazon offers concessions over third-party sales to appease UK antitrust watchdog

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On Twitter, follow Camilla Hodgson (@CamillaHodgson) and Topher Forhecz (@ForheczT)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Argentina’s $16bn saga with a US court Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

When Argentina’s president announced plans to nationalise an oil company in 2012, it was presented as a way to grow the country’s wealth. Eleven years on, a court in New York City decided that the country owes some of the oil company shareholders $16bn. The FT’s Joe Miller and Ciara Nugent explain why this has happened. And, we look at what this means for Argentina, as it grapples with skyrocketing inflation and an important presidential election later this month.

Clips from CNN, NBC News, Reuters, Televisión Pública

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For further reading:

After $16bn judgment, Burford’s next battle will be making Argentina pay

Argentina radical rightwinger shakes up presidential race with primary win

Burford chief executive fears Argentine reprisals

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On X, follow Joe Miller (@JoeMillerJr), Ciara Nugent (@ciaraCnugent) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best Of: Why Apple can’t leave China Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

This week, we’re revisiting an episode from earlier this year. Apple has spent two decades and billions of dollars building a massive supply chain for its products. At the centre of that operation is China. But as Beijing has become more authoritarian and relations with the US sour, it has become harder for Apple to do business there. The company has been signalling recently that it will diversify away from the country, but the FT’s Patrick McGee explains why cutting ties will be extremely difficult.

Clips from Fox News, CGTN, Yahoo, ABC

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For further reading:

How Apple tied its fortunes to China

What it would take for Apple to disentangle itself from China

‘A shot across the bow’: how geopolitics threatens Apple’s dependence on China

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On X, follow Patrick McGee (@PatrickMcGee_) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07)

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The push to dominate the battery supply chain Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

As the world transitions away from fossil fuels and the electric vehicle market grows, competition to control a piece of a new source of energy is brewing. From rival carmakers to raw materials miners, different groups are racing to carve out their spots in the supply chain of one important technology: lithium-ion batteries. How will it shake out? The FT’s commodities correspondent Harry Dempsey explains who’s likely to succeed, and what that could mean for the future of corporate and national power.

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For further reading:

Rival battery technologies race to dominate electric car market

The search for winners in the new battery era

Can anyone challenge China’s EV battery dominance?

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On X, follow Harry Dempsey (@harrydemps) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07)

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.