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Get the latest from Slate Money and the entire Slate network's takes on the latest in the world of business and business news.

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Slate Money: McDonald's Fast Food Price War

June 22, 2024 07:00 - 50 minutes

Fast food prices are sky high, but chains will take losses to get you in the door. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the economics of a new value meal trend. Also: millennials’ are taking secret “quiet vacations” and dicey geopolitics are affecting bond markets. In the Plus segment: Yankee Stadium is now card-payment only. Do Americans have the right to use cold hard cash? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free...

What Next TBD: Amazon Wants Your Handprint

June 21, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

Amazon has installed digital palm readers at Whole Foods. The reader scans your palm, collecting biometric data, and links it to your credit card to pay for your groceries. What does exchanging vein mapping for eggs and butter mean for the future of data security and in-person shopping.  Guest: Emily Moore, freelance tech and food journalist Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscrib...

Well, Now: Meet Gwyneth Paltrow’s Mold Guy

June 19, 2024 07:00 - 47 minutes

Everyone knows the quality of the air we breathe directly affects our health.  As the summer rolls along and more people seek reprieve from the heat indoors, it’s important to be sure our indoor air is clean and toxin-free. One pollutant to keep an eye out for is mold. Mold inside a home could hurt your health both immediately and in the long term. So to help us better understand how to spot mold in the home and how to get rid of it, we’re joined by air quality expert Michael Rubino, presiden...

What Next: What's Eating the Economy?

June 17, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

The American economy has gotten more consolidated and more reliant on algorithms—while also, according to most people, getting more expensive, slower, and worse. Is there some causality in this correlation?  Guest: Matt Stoller, Research Director for the American Economic Liberties Project and author of Goliath: The Hundred Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your...

What Next TBD: The FBI Made a Phone Network. It Was A Trap.

June 16, 2024 07:00 - 33 minutes

In 2021, one of the largest global law enforcement operations took place. It was all thanks to an encrypted phone service known as Anom, which was secretly run by the FBI.  The program was a wild success. But did the agency take it too far?  Guest: Joseph Cox, investigative reporter for 404 media and author of “Dark Wire, the Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever” Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family ...

Slate Money: Is Tesla Even a Good Car Company?

June 15, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Tesla shareholders’ overwhelming support of Musk’s pay package, the return of the GameStop meme stock influencer, and why Governor Hochul killed New York’s congestion pricing plan. In the Plus segment: a Missouri restaurant has banned 20-somethings. Can they do that? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our...

What Next TBD: Apple Goes Intelligent

June 14, 2024 07:00 - 24 minutes

On Monday, Tim Cook announced Apple was getting into artificial intelligence. Is Apple about to do for A.I. what it did for personal computers and smartphones? Guest: Gerrit De Vynck, tech reporter for the Washington Post. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to ...

What Next: Wait, Is JUUL Banned or Not?

June 12, 2024 07:00 - 25 minutes

Two years ago, the FDA announced it was banning JUUL nicotine vapes from sale in the U.S.—and then quickly announced it was holding off on the ban to allow for review. How did regulating ecigarettes end up playing catch-up? Guest: Jamie Ducharme, health correspondent at Time, author of Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul.  Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on A...

Money Talks: The NIMBY Catch-22

June 11, 2024 07:00 - 40 minutes

It’s Money Talks…live! This episode was taped at The Hewlett Foundation’s annual New Common Sense Conference, where Felix Salmon chatted with Jerusalem Demsas, who covers housing and infrastructure for The Atlantic. They discuss the NIMBY mentality, regulatory tangles holding back real estate development, and what we have to give up to gain more affordable housing. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the networ...

What Next TBD: Fee’d Up: A Musician’s Take on Ticketmaster

June 09, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

It’s hard to imagine music fans mourning a break-up of Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, as a Department of Justice lawsuit requests. But even with this monopolistic middleman out of the way, touring musicians still seem destined to struggle financially. Guest: Laura Jane Grace, musician Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking ...

Slate Money: Is the NY Times Just a Gaming Platform?

June 08, 2024 07:00 - 47 minutes

Even the Grey Lady struggles to profit from the news. This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Semafor founder Ben Smith to discuss media profit models, the impact of Google’s AI on the news biz, and the TikTok-ification of information. In the Plus segment: Vivek Ramaswamy comes for Buzzfeed.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our regular...

What Next TBD: The Secret Semiconductor War

June 07, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

How well is the Biden administration coaxing semiconductor companies to build their chips in the United States? Compared to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan…or even mainland China, things are just okay. Guest: Asa Fitch, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, covering the semiconductor industry. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at ...

What Next: The Hollywood Strikes Are Over. No One's Back To Work.

June 06, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

After waiting for two strikes to resolve, film and television crews across Hollywood were hungry to return to work. But the work has been slow to come back. As a number of crew union contracts expire at the end of July, how strong is their negotiating position? Guests:  Diane Haithman, Senior Entertainment Business Reporter, TheWrap Diego Mariscal, IATSE local 80 dolly grip Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all ...

Slate Money Talks: The United States is Doing Retirement Wrong

June 05, 2024 07:05 - 39 minutes

On week’s special Money Talks, Teresa Ghilarducci, author of Work, Retire, Repeat: The Uncertainty of Retirement in the New Economy joins Felix Salmon to discuss all things retirement. They dig into what other countries are getting right (and wrong) about retirement, how the 401k failed, Teresa’s ultimate plan to fix retirement, and more.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segme...

Hear Me Out: Election Betting Should Be Legal

June 04, 2024 07:00 - 37 minutes

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: placing bets. Betting on the results of elections is illegal in the United States – though that hasn’t stopped sportsbooks overseas from cashing in. And that doesn’t mean that Americans haven’t placed bets on election results in the U.S., either; that’s a tradition that dates back centuries. There’s a push now to make elections betting legal on American soil — and for American companies to run online casinos. Futures markets are complicated, and it might f...

What Next TBD: Would You Buy Poop On the Internet?

June 02, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

“Fecal microbial transplants” treat someone’s unhealthy gut with poop from someone else’s healthy gut, and proponents of FMT claim it can help treat everything from IBS to autism. But if your doctor isn’t ready to fill you up with someone else’s poop, the internet will happily oblige.  Guest:  Luke Winkie, Slate staff writer who published “The Poop Broker.” Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate ...

Slate Money: Nobody’s Gonna Stop Nvidia

June 01, 2024 07:00 - 54 minutes

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology podcast. They discuss why the Nvidia juggernaut isn’t going to slow down any time soon, the man, myth, and legend of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and whether U.S. texters will embrace WhatsApp and voice memos. In the Plus segment: Which candidate is most TikTok-able? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the ne...

What Next TBD: He’s Suing Big Tech Over Uvalde

May 31, 2024 07:00 - 26 minutes

His law firm won a $73 million dollar settlement against Remington on behalf of nine Sandy Hook families. Now he’s filing a lawsuit against the gunmaker Daniel Defense, the video game company Activision, and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, on behalf of families in Uvalde. Guest: Josh Koskoff, attorney Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking...

Well, Now: How Doulas Make Childbirth Safer For Everyone

May 29, 2024 07:00 - 46 minutes

Everyone has a different birth experience.  Obstetricians and midwives are well-known members of the birth team. Along with the pregnant person, they are central to labor and delivery. Doulas are lesser known, but they can provide essential support for pregnant women and their loved ones.  On this week’s episode of Well, Now: What to expect when working with a doula with Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow. If you liked this episode, check out: Overcoming a Complicated Pregnancy Well, Now is ...

ICYMI: Encore: TikTok Shop Is a Dystopian Mall Kiosk

May 29, 2024 07:00 - 41 minutes

Today, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from September 2022 about TikTok Shop. In the episode, Rachelle and Candice are joined by sustainable stylist and fashion educator Lakyn Carlton to discuss TikTok Shop — a new feature that lets users purchase products without ever leaving the app. TikTok Shop is a modern day QVC, where merchants can shell products they’ve made — or are authorized to resell — in live videos with products tagged on screen. In the age of Amazon Storefronts and...

How To!: Take a Gap Year

May 28, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes

Leo is a high-achieving high school senior on the cusp of graduation. Growing up in a rigorous school environment he faced endless pressure to follow the expected track of attending an elite university and eventually securing a good job. Yet, Leo feels slightly unfulfilled and is curious what an alternative path might look like. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace is joined by Abby Falik, founder of the The Flight School, and organization dedicate to helping students and parents rethi...

Money Talks: Business is Bad for Lesbians

May 28, 2024 07:00 - 33 minutes

Lesbian businesses are great for the queer women’s community, but making them profitable is a different matter. For this Money Talks, Felix Salmon chats with June Thomas, author of A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces That Shaped Queer Women's Culture, to discuss a unique mix of cultural and economic challenges facing the queer economy. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our ...

Endless Shrimp In This Economy!?

May 25, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Kyla Scanlon, author of the new book In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work to talk about the disconnect between reality and perception that lead what she calls a “vibecession” – wherein many believe we’re in a recession that isn’t actually happening at all. Also: The many reasons that may have led to Red Lobster’s bankruptcy – it’s not not because of shrimp – and Kyla helps answer a listener's question about s...

What Next TBD: Scarlett Johansson vs OpenAI

May 24, 2024 07:00 - 26 minutes

When OpenAI showed a demo for the latest version of ChatGPT —the one that you can chat with, you know, with your voice—one of the voices sounded eerily familiar. And instead of a victory lap, it was a reminder of all of the implications for intellectual property and one’s own basic human likeness that this technology carries with it. Guest: Sigal Samuel, senior reporter for Vox's Future Perfect and co-host of the Future Perfect podcast. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to ac...

ICYMI: The Aftermath of a Layoff

May 22, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes

Candice Lim is joined by Yowei Shaw (former co-host of NPR’s Invisibilia) to discuss her new podcast Proxy, which takes listeners through the psychological aftermath of a layoff, starting with Shaw’s own layoff from NPR. In March 2023, the public radio institution laid off approximately 10 percent of its staff, resulting in the cancellation of four podcasts, including Invisibilia. Shaw, along with her team, was working on an upcoming season of the podcast when they were suddenly without jobs....

What Next TBD: The Dark Side of GoFundMe

May 19, 2024 07:00 - 32 minutes

In theory, crowdfunding sites offer an opportunity for anyone to give to any cause, including, say, strangers facing huge medical bills. In practice, crowdfunding suffers from many of the same inequities that led to someone needing to crowdfund to begin with. Guest: Nora Kenworthy, author of Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare, associate professor at the University of Washington, Bothell. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the ...

Slate Money: Biden Zaps Chinese EVs

May 18, 2024 07:00 - 54 minutes

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the motivations and impacts of new tariffs plus the cultural forces behind China’s economic policy. Also: Congress is trying to figure out what to do with AI, and Melinda French Gates is getting her groove back. In the Plus segment: Rates for new mortgages suck right now, but what if you could buy out someone existing one? Also: Do you have a donor-advised fund? Do you pay fees on it? Felix invites you to weigh in on his Axios ...

What Next TBD: Too Stonks Too Furious

May 17, 2024 07:00 - 24 minutes

The 2021 subreddit-coordinated effort to raise the price of Gamestop stock was, in some ways, a proof of concept: the little guy can get into the market and make some noise. Because even though that “meme stock” rose and fell, the idea of the meme stock went has changed the way our stock market works. Guest: Alex Kirshner, contributing writer for Slate. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podc...

How To: Handle Feedback at Work

May 14, 2024 07:00 - 43 minutes

Leigh is a stellar employee by all accounts. She deeply cares about the company’s mission. She gets along with her coworkers. She delivers great work. So why does every critique cut deep and leave her questioning her worth? On this episode of How To!: Courtney Martin consults the columnist Alison Green, who answers tricky workplace questions at the advice site, Ask a Manager. Alison helps Leigh figure out what to do with criticism, forge better relationships with higher-ups, and even give bet...

Money Talks: Can Math Really Crack the Stock Market?

May 14, 2024 07:00 - 48 minutes

The “Fama–French model” is a Nobel laureate-designed tool for predicting the stock market. It guides hundreds of billions in investments. The problem? Its numbers keep shifting. For this Money Talks, Felix Salmon chats with Planet Money host Mary Childs about her deep dive for Bloomberg into finance mathematics. They question the nature of investing, markets, and reality itself. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience acr...

What Next TBD: Would You Choose Your Child’s Sex?

May 12, 2024 07:00 - 28 minutes

The ability to choose the sex of your child through IVF is banned in most of the world. In America, however, parents can—and do—for a price. Guest: Emi Nietfeld, writer and software engineer, author of “The Parents Who Want Daughters—and Daughters Only” for Slate. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page....

Slate Money: How Neoliberalism Scammed America

May 11, 2024 07:00 - 57 minutes

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by legal scholar Mehrsa Baradaran, author of The Quiet Coup: Neoliberalism and the Looting of America. Mehrsa explains the roots of the neoliberalism movement and how the myth of free market made the American economy more oppressive, especially against black and brown people. Also: A misogynistic party culture has been revealed at the FDIC, and small banks are feeling the economic pinch. In the Plus segment: The California w...

What Next TBD: Meet the Trump Campaign’s A.I. Guy

May 10, 2024 07:00 - 21 minutes

You might not know Brad Parscale by name, but you know his work: he was the digital campaign operative behind Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory. This election cycle, he’s back—and advising conservatives on how to utilize A.I. in their campaigns.  Guest: Garance Burke, global investigative journalist for the Associated Press. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today ...

What Next TBD: Can California Save Journalism?

May 05, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

The California Journalism Preservation Act would make companies like Google and Meta pay publishers for the news content appearing in their feeds and search results—and force news organizations to spend that money on their journalists. How have similar laws worked in Canada and Australia? And could it solve journalism’s on-going revenue problem? Guest: Matt Pearce, former LA Times journalist, the president of Media Guild of the West. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to acces...

Slate Money: Will New DEA Rules Light Up the Weed Business?

May 04, 2024 07:00 - 50 minutes

This week: A new DEA designation for cannabis means high times for pot smokers, but what about the industry? Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the future of the cannabis business, Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s lax, four-month prison sentence, and why Americans keep buying more cheap junk (but spend fortunes on ravioli). In the Plus segment: Elon Musk fired Tesla’s Supercharger network team: a bold move, or just a dumb one? If you enjoy this show, please consider s...

What Next TBD: Bird Flu—It’s in Milk?

May 03, 2024 07:00 - 25 minutes

Bird flu isn’t new, you may even remember past outbreaks. But showing up in milk?  Is America ready if it leaps to spreading among humans? Guest: Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist, senior advisor to the CDC  Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wher...

Well, Now: How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill

May 01, 2024 07:00 - 43 minutes

Who hasn’t received necessary medical care and got a shockingly high bill for it weeks later?  Even with insurance, many Americans will experience this at some point–including one of the most recognizable doctors in the country: the U.S. surgeon general.  Earlier this year, Dr. Jerome Adams – who served as surgeon general for the Trump Administration – received a bill of nearly $5,000 after being treated for dehydration. What was his strategy for fighting it? On this week’s episode of Well, N...

What Next: Biden’s Climate Report Card

May 01, 2024 07:00 - 24 minutes

It’s not that we aren’t making progress slowing our carbon and greenhouse gas emissions; it’s just that we still may not be doing enough—fast enough—to avert catastrophe.  Guest: Umair Irfan, correspondent at Vox writing about climate change, Covid-19, and energy policy. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our ...

ICYMI: The End of Foxtrot and Outdoor Voices

May 01, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes

Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim walk through the drama surrounding Foxtrot, an upscale cafe and mini market that abruptly closed all of its locations on April 23. Despite its popularity and over $100 million raised, Foxtrot’s sudden shutdown shocked employees and devoted customers who expressed their outrage and sadness on TikTok. Then, they discuss the rumors surrounding Outdoor Voices, the exercise clothing brand that was everywhere, until it wasn’t. But first, they debate this year’s song...

Money Talks: How to Get Fit Like the 1%

April 30, 2024 07:00 - 34 minutes

Too busy running the rat race to…run? Former Wall Street Journal fitness columnist Jen Murphy has some advice. She chats with host Emily Peck about making time for diet and exercise and the value of investing in your health at any age and stage of life. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our regular show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate...

Slate Money: The Rich People Restaurant Crisis

April 27, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes

This week: a reservation at Carbone New York may cost a thousand dollars, but you’ve always got a table at Slate Money! Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss restaurant reservation resellers, the FTC’s new non-compete clause ban, and Biden’s rules for airline fees that make getting refunds easier than ever. In the Plus segment: After sell-or-be-banned legislation, is it the end for TikTok in America? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plu...

What Next TBD: So ... Is TikTok Banned?

April 26, 2024 07:00 - 22 minutes

The TikTok ban that has been floating around Washington since the last administration has been signed into law. What does that mean for users, creators and the court battles ahead? Guest:  Louise Matsakis, reporter covering tech and China. Dillon White, TikToker under the handle @dadchats Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at ...

ICYMI: Is Roblox Coming for TikTok?

April 24, 2024 07:00 - 39 minutes

On today’s episode, Steffi Cao explains Roblox to Rachelle. Cao, a culture writer with bylines at The Atlantic, Fast Company, Forbes, BuzzFeed and more, recently wrote about Roblox’s new attempt to venture outside of kids’ gaming. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Next: What the WNBA Salary Debate Misses

April 22, 2024 07:00 - 28 minutes

With all eyes on the WNBA as Caitlin Clark was drafted, many were surprised at the star player’s new salary, and how it paled in comparison to that of an NBA rookie. What would it take to address this disparity?  Guest: Lindsay Gibbs, author and founder of Power Plays, “a no-BS newsletter about women’s sports” and co-host of the Burn It All Down podcast. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate ...

What Next TBD: The Internet Archive Endangered

April 21, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

From the Wayback Machine to the mass-digitization of the history of Aruba, the Internet Archive is a non-profit doing valuable work. But some of its other projects—a pandemic-era lending library and the ongoing digitalization of 78 rpm records—have led to lawsuits now threatening the future of this repository of the past.  Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favori...

Slate Money: Tesla’s Toxic Relationship With Musk

April 20, 2024 07:00 - 52 minutes

This week: Elon Musk wants his colossal, court-blocked pay package, and Tesla’s board wants to give it to him. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers also chat with Alicia Montgomery, current Slate audio VP and veteran of NPR, to discuss what is — and isn’t — behind NPR’s troubles. Also: inflation is high, but does the Fed really need to cut rates? In the Plus segment: Why Biden is going after Chinese steel. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus...

What Next TBD: What’s Driving Tesla’s Layoffs?

April 19, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes

Tesla’s market cap has dropped. The company had its biggest round of layoffs ever. The Cybertruck doesn’t seem to be taking off. And Elon’s posting through it. Is Tesla in serious trouble? Guest: Dana Hull, Bloomberg reporter and contributor to the podcast Elon, Inc.   Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show ...

What Next: Is It Too Late to Escape “Forever Chemicals”?

April 18, 2024 07:00 - 28 minutes

Man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are found in all sorts of industrial and consumer products, including carpets, rain jackets, and makeup. They’re also in our drinking water—and in our blood. The EPA has recently announced plans to regulate the amount of certain PFAS in our water supply. But will these rules do enough to control chemicals for which there is no safe level of exposure? Guest: Esme Deprez, independent investigative journalist. Want more What Next? S...

Money Talks: Felix Wins His Crypto Bet

April 16, 2024 07:00 - 35 minutes

Five years ago, tech investor Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz bet our own Felix Salmon a 100-year-old bottle of wine that 10% of Americans would be using Bitcoin to pay for something by now. Ben lost, of course, but he’s ready to double down with a new digital wager! He and partner Chris Dixon discuss the past and present of crypto, blockchain, and AI. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an ...

What Next TBD: Is America Ready for Legal Psychedelics?

April 14, 2024 07:00 - 26 minutes

How the semi-legalization of marijuana has drawn a road map for legalizing psychedelics—and also provided a list of pitfalls to be avoided.  Guest: Jane C. Hu, science journalist and author of the newsletter The Microdose. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to ...

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