Slate Money

This Week: A.I. giant Anthropic, makers of Claude, filed to go public. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss what the S-1 filing revealed about their finances and what this IPO means for Anthropic’s place in the A.I. race. Then, they look at why Weil, Gotshal & Mange, a top Wall Street law firm, is choosing to shut its doors and what that says about the industry. And finally, they take a look at how crypto exchange Binance is scrambling after a $6.3 billion Bitcoin heist.

In the Slate Plus episode: Is Cheesecake Factory Cheesy?

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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Investment in artificial intelligence is driving our economy and the markets but it’s also doing something else … scaring the hell out of people. On this episode of Money Talks, host Emily Peck sits down with Axios reporters Sam Sabin and Maria Curieto talk about what threats are real and what threats are alarmist when it comes to AI, and how lawmakers are dealing with a fast moving situation that they don’t seem to understand.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Jessamine Molli.

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This week: Meta struck a deal to keep Mark Zuckerberg in California despite the proposed “billionaire tax”.

First up, hostsFelix Salmon,Emily Peck, andElizabeth Spiers explain the how the new stock issuance works and why Meta’s board’s hands were tied. Then, after Elon Musk floated a Tesla/SpaceX merger, they discuss what he and the companies would stand to gain and who might be able to stand in his way. Finally, Airbnb doesn't want guests doing chores. Where’s the line between being a reasonable guest in a home and in a hotel?

Mentioned in the episode: ‘

‘How Mark Zuckerberg went to war with his own board of directors over pay and power.’ From the Washington Post

‘Kevin Bacon’ from The Pudding

In the Slate Plus episode: The Regretful Ex-Pats

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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

This week: Inflation is going bananas (unless you’re talking about the actual fruit.) First up, hostsFelix Salmon,Emily Peck, andElizabeth Spiers dig into what is causing inflation and why bananas should actually cost more than they do. Then, Meta wants everyone to play with its new A.I. model but is the cuteness covering up something sinister? Finally, why Kelly Clarkson really doesn’t get that Brooklyn magic shop’s whole deal.

Mentioned in the episode:

‘America’s Favorite Fruit Is Being Bruised by the Iran War’, from The New York Times

‘What If New York Just Loves a Fancy, Complicated Bird?’, from Vulture

‘With flying Roadster, Tesla waves goodbye to the car business’, from Axios

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

In the Slate Plus episode: Not a Girl, Not Yet A Lawyer

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When Puerto Rico’s debt crisis ballooned into the largest governmental default in U.S. history, Congress stepped in with an unprecedented solution. Felix Salmon is joined by David Skeel, who served as chair on the oversight board that helped the island regain economic stability and detailed the saga of this debt crisis in his book Promise Land. They discuss the ins and outs of government debt, the idea of state bankruptcy, and what lessons can be learned for future legislation.

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This week, we’re talking about a mega-merger, Spain, and artificial intelligence. First up, hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers go deep on the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger. They unpack David Ellison's calculus, the potential ripple effects, and more. Then they look to Europe at the economic woes in Spain and France. Finally, Silicon Valley really, really wants A.I. in schools. But pretty much everyone else is unconvinced.

In the Slate Plus episode: Stocks for Kids!

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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Adam Auriemma, author of the Bloomberg Money newsletter, brings his personal finance expertise to the show. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck pick Adam’s brain about how we should think about budgeting, his thoughts on renting and buying in the current housing market, and his take on financial advisors and planners.

In the Slate Plus episode: Annuities Are So Hot Right Now

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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In this Money Talks: Emily Peck interviews reporter Ellen Gabler about her New York Times investigation into how Wall Street investors are making money on personal-injury lawsuits that drag on for years—with unsettling consequences for plaintiffs.

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: The bond market continues to churn with yields spiking globally. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck are joined by Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth, whose new book, A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World, feels particularly relevant right now. Robin recounts the research he did for the book and explains why the history of bonds is more interesting than you might think. They also discuss the state of theTreasury market now and, naturally, what makes debt beautiful.

In the Slate Plus episode: The $60 Loaf of Bread

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: Everyone is talking about A.I. safety as OpenAI shares more alarming security breaches. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck examine the complicated reality of trying to slow down the A.I. frontier. Then, the hosts discuss Fed chair Kevin Warsh’s unexpected vote to raise rates—in defiance of Donald Trump. And finally, with the SEC opening the door to tokenized equities, they explain what it means for stocks to be traded like crypto—and why AMC is beefing with Robinhood over it.

In the Slate Plus episode: Toilets, Toilets Everywhere

Mentioned in this episode: “Inside the suddenly explosive world of AI safety,” from The Verge.

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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In this Money Talks: Roy Swan joins Elizabeth Spiers to turn the assumption of a zero-sum economy on its head. Swan, the director of the Ford Foundation’s mission investments program, explains why the idea that someone has to lose in order for you to win is not just costing societally, but economically—and how positive impact and positive returns aren’t mutually exclusive. Swan’s new book is Positive Sum: How Zero-sum Thinking Broke Capitalism—and How We Can Fix It.

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: The new book Money to Burn goes deep on private-equity behemoth Apollo Global Management and its billionaire cofounder and former CEO, Leon Black. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck are joined by author William D. Cohanto talk about his reporting on Black’s investment empire and what it means for Wall Street to be dominated by private equity. They also get into Black’s tragic origin story, messy personal scandals, and strange friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

In the Slate Plus episode: Your $5K Check’s in the Mail

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: Nvidia joined Silicon Valley’s A.I. investment frenzy and bought Hugging Face for $12.93 billion. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss what this deal signals about the astounding amounts of money being thrown around the relatively niche market of A.I. investment. Then, bond yields are on the rise and the hosts discuss why global concern is rising with them. And finally, what do George Santos and Steve Ballmer have in common? Felix will explain.

In the Slate Plus episode: The $500 A.I.-powered Mouth Camera

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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One-hundred-million-year-old bones are so hot right now. In this Money Talks, Felix Salmon is joined by Salomon Aaron, director of an antiquities gallery specializing in fossils, to explain everything you ever wanted to know about dealing in dinosaurs and why the market has exploded in recent years.

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: Meta settles with the U.S. states suing the company over teen safety concerns. Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Scarlet Fu of the new Bloomberg Money (while Felix is stuck on a tarmac somewhere in Canada) to discuss if Meta’s $17 billion settlement is as big of a deal as it sounds, and what this outcome really means for the social media guardrails overall. Then, they turn to the disastrous trade talks between the U.S. and Canada and how President Trump’s tactics have managed to piss off our friendliest ally. And finally, they’ll discuss why Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s latest market tinkering has everyone chiming in.

In the Slate Plus episode: The Big A.I. Writing Debate

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: the Slate Money hosts ask all their burning A.I. questions to someone who can actually answer them. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck sit down with A.I. expert Noah Brier and pick his brain about the reality of all our A.I. fears, the arms race with China, and how businesses are using it now.

In the Slate Plus episode: What’s Up With Robots?

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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In this Money Talks: Martha Gimble, the Executive Director of the Budget Lab at Yale, joins Elizabeth Spiers to explain their recent report on early childhood education and care policies and how federal subsidies could realistically work to make these things affordable.

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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

This week: The Treasury Department announced it’s killing an anti-corruption measure that requires shell companies to identify their beneficiaries. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck explain how a key aspect of the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act ended up on the chopping block—and what lobbyists and the Trump administration stand to gain from its elimination. Then, the hosts discuss the billionaires who are buying themselves fun little treats like the L.A. Lakers and Broadway theaters. And later: how Italian bank vaults full of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese are dealing with the extreme heat.

In the Slate Plus episode: What’s $6 Million Between Friends?

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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This week: On the heels of his recent story on the glut of art that baby boomers are leaving to younger generations, Felix Salmon talks with Elizabeth Spiers and Emily Peck about why boomers like to collect things—from fine art to Pez dispensers—and why younger generations aren’t necessarily following suit. Then, the hosts look at why Scott Bessent decided to prop up the Japanese yen and what makes the move unusual. And finally, they talk about why weather apps are ruining our summer fun.

In the Slate Plus episode: The House That Loopholes Built

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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In this Money Talks: Felix Salmon sits down with Lee Buchheit for an in-depth chat on sovereign debt at a live event hosted by The Library of Mistakes.

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 onApple Podcasts andSpotify. Or, visitslate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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