The Indicator from Planet Money

Who's financing Meta's massive AI data center?

In a rural pocket of northeastern Louisiana, Meta is building a $30 billion data center called Hyperion. But it’s not being completely financed with Meta’s own money. Today on the show, the opaque system of AI data center financing and why it’s fueling fears of a bubble.  Related episodes:  OpenAI’s deals are looking a little frothy [https://www.npr.org/2025/10/16/nx-s1-5575729/openais-deals-are-looking-a-little-frothy]  No AI data centers in my backyard! [https://www.npr.org/2025/10/22/nx-s1-5581445/no-ai-data-centers-in-my-backyard]  What $10B in data centers actually gets you [https://www.npr.org/2025/04/02/1242229718/ai-mississippi-jobs-data-centers-virginia]  For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Who’s buying all the beef?

President Trump has said he’d try to get more Argentine beef into the U.S. So who would actually do the buying? That’s a general theme with a lot of these trade deals — big numbers but vague details. When China says it’ll buy more soybeans, is it the government or companies that does the buying? When South Korea promises to invest in American shipyards, who’s actually doing that?  Today on the show, we dig into two questions from listeners and hear directly from an Argentine butcher.  Related episodes:  Why beef prices are so high [https://www.npr.org/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5539846/why-beef-prices-are-so-high] How the South is trying to win the EV race [https://www.npr.org/2023/11/02/1197956548/evs-automakers-incentives-southeast]  For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Pay transparency. The WhatsApp and Instagram decision. Our beef with screwworms.

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.  On today’s episode: the effects of pay transparency [https://www.nber.org/papers/w34480], Meta’s big win, and freaky flies and beef.  Related episodes:  Are we entering a new dawn for antitrust enforcement? [https://www.npr.org/2022/06/08/1103836051/are-we-entering-a-new-dawn-for-antitrust-enforcement]  Why beef prices are so high [https://www.npr.org/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5534424/beef-prices-record-high-cost]  For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

How to avoid scammers after a natural disaster

When people lose their homes to wildfire, hurricanes or flooding, they're eager to rebuild. But scammers are also ready to take advantage. On today’s show, the lucrative business of contractor fraud and advice on how to avoid them.  Related episodes: An indicator lost: Big disaster costs [https://www.npr.org/2025/06/04/1253616079/an-indicator-lost-big-disaster-costs]  When insurers can’t get insurance [https://www.npr.org/2023/06/22/1183854206/when-insurers-cant-get-insurance]  Selling safety in the fight against wildfires [https://www.npr.org/2023/09/21/1197954265/selling-safety-in-the-fight-against-wildfires]  For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Looking for love in the auto supply chain

Foreign automakers already have huge assembly plants in the U.S., but lots of parts and materials come from overseas.  To avoid costly tariffs, they gotta buy American. But … How does one meet those suppliers? How do you build a new relationship with them? The answer: Speed dating.  Related episodes:  The old trade war that brought foreign carmakers to the U.S. [https://www.npr.org/2025/05/21/1252663606/the-old-trade-war-that-brought-foreign-carmakers-to-the-us] Tariffs: What are they good for? [https://www.npr.org/2025/04/02/1242229719/planet-money-the-case-for-tariffs] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Tyler Jones. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money].   Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]