Obsession, the most fun job in China, and a new green card policy

The SpaceX IPO drama explained

What the SpaceX IPO, the largest ever, reveals about big tech, the NASDAQ and more big IPOs to come. Sure it will make Elon Musk a trillionaire, but what does this mean for your retirement account?  Fact checking by Emma Ferrara.  Your Next Listen  — What a second Trump term could mean for SpaceX [http://lnk.to/69hGvC]  Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]!  — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Should we tax AI?

Should we tax AI? The AI race has made a lot of people richer … but most of those gains seem to have gone to the wealthy while everyday workers aren't seeing their incomes go up.  We speak with Democratic congressional candidate, Alex Bores, who wants to tax AI. Also, we talk to a tax expert who has her reservations.  Fact checking by Tyler Jones.  Your Next Listen  — It's come to this: Human certification in the age of AI slop [https://lnk.to/q1KNPAjtWE] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

U OK, UK?

In the United Kingdom, young people are out of work, government borrowing costs are high, and the nation is burning through PM’s like yesterday’s leftovers. A lot of countries are feeling the economic strain of the Iran war. But is the UK the country we should be worrying about? Fact checking by Leyla Doss. Your Next Listen  — What broke Britain’s economy? [https://lnk.to/IR7LTPWE] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

The fired labor economist who couldn't get unemployment

A top labor economist encounters the endlessly frustrating labyrinth of filing for unemployment after getting fired by President Trump. Why are unemployment benefits so hard to get, and can we do anything to fix the system?  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Your Next Listen  — What you need to know about the job report revisions [http://lnk.to/inBkiL]  Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Who should new grads boo more? AI or remote work?

Is AI really to blame [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6787638] for young people finding it hard to land first jobs [https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/06/remote-work-leaves-younger-workers-sidelined/]? Is Black unemployment a leading indicator for the rest of the economy? Here’s what the hosts of our Ambies award-winning business podcast think you should take away from the May jobs report. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez] and Vito Emanuel [https://www.npr.org/people/nx-s1-63544/vito-emanuel].  Your Next Listen  — Which jobs are future-proofed? [https://lnk.to/NS9YKY]  Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]!  — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]