Slate Money

Money Talks: Don't Be Evil-ish

In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by Tim Wu [https://www.law.columbia.edu/faculty/timothy-wu] to discuss his new book, The Age of Extraction [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691177/the-age-of-extraction-by-tim-wu/], 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 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-money/id876523888] and Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2AgxNbNcUOckZSww9mk8mX]. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Money&utm_source=episode_summary] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Netflix Wants To Have It All

This week: Netflix has agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Felix Salmon [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zxqezqfhjwidbrsvk66ded57], Elizabeth Spiers [https://www.elizabethspiers.com/], and Emily Peck [https://www.axios.com/authors/epeck] are joined by the New York Times’ Nicholas Kulish [https://www.nytimes.com/by/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 [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/business/dell-children-trump-accounts.html], 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 [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/03/customers-pay-more-rising-dollar-store-costs?CMP=share_btn_url]. 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 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-money/id876523888] and Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2AgxNbNcUOckZSww9mk8mX]. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Money&utm_source=episode_summary] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Coolest Thing in the World for an Econ Nerd

This week: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee [https://www.chicagofed.org/utilities/about-us/office-of-the-president/office-of-the-president-home] joins  Felix Salmon [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zxqezqfhjwidbrsvk66ded57], Elizabeth Spiers [https://www.elizabethspiers.com/], and Emily Peck [https://www.axios.com/authors/epeck] 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. 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 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-money/id876523888] and Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2AgxNbNcUOckZSww9mk8mX]. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Money&utm_source=episode_summary] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Money Talks: Chicken and a Cold Drink

In this Money Talks: The Wall Street Journal’s Heather Haddon [https://www.wsj.com/news/author/heather-haddon] joins Emily Peck [https://www.axios.com/authors/epeck] to unpack her recent reporting on the fast food industry, including the reason we’re seeing the “Value Wars [https://www.wsj.com/business/mcdonalds-value-inflation-fast-food-38611481?mod=author_content_page_3_pos_5]” play out at places like McDonalds and Chili’s, Starbuck’s strategies [https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/starbucks-barista-training-sales-b1f11395?mod=author_content_page_1_pos_6] to revive sales, and the intense drive-thru operations research [https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/chick-fil-a-drive-through-service-fast-food-innovation-ed5e2288?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdxEk-xlgDvuJGIDISXJLlOoT6gygiErI6sfugqLMul48kRHK3tJXPM7weOHiI%3D&gaa_ts=6924be1a&gaa_sig=aaAyT3Dj_9lQ66JdPMArSxHgb1r1AAUnDi4yYB-7D7Fi8y89V9G6mETBLVhc-_laVQDh8MpY27JLqJLruuClUQ%3D%3D] 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 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-money/id876523888] and Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2AgxNbNcUOckZSww9mk8mX]. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Money&utm_source=episode_summary] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Good Riddance to Larry Summers

This week: Larry Summers has stepped down from his public positions following the release of unsavory emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein. Felix Salmon [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zxqezqfhjwidbrsvk66ded57], Elizabeth Spiers [https://www.elizabethspiers.com/], and Emily Peck [https://www.axios.com/authors/epeck] 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 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slate-money/id876523888] and Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2AgxNbNcUOckZSww9mk8mX]. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Money&utm_source=episode_summary] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]