Big Take

Inside Disney and OpenAI’s Billion Dollar Deal

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As AI-generated images ping pong around the internet, the Walt Disney Company has been mostly playing defense, using litigation to protect its intelle...

Truckers Are Aging Out. Who Will Replace Them?

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The trucking industry has long been dominated by older white men. But as those truckers steer toward retirement, who will replace them?  On today...

Many Cancer Drugs Don’t Extend Life

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Treating cancer is a massive business. In 2024 alone, cancer treatments generated at least $200 billion in worldwide sales for the pharmaceutical indu...

The $2 Billion Flood Control Scandal Rocking the Philippines

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, but this year’s storms exposed something far uglier: a vast corruption scandal. On today’s Big...

Wait, Weren’t We Supposed to Have a Recession in 2025?

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

All year, the jobs market, consumer sentiment, AI and inflation flashed warning signs about the economy — but 2025 managed to avoid a recession....

Weekend Listen: The Man Driving Microsoft’s New AI Strategy

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mustafa Suleyman co-founded AI lab DeepMind when he was just 26 years old. Four years later, it was acquired by Google for a reported $400 million. He...

How to Invest in AI Right Now

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Depending on who you talk to, AI is the key to remaking industries and jobs – or a bubble ripe to pop. And if you’re an investor, you&rsqu...

A Fifth Generation Farmer on Trump’s $12B Bailout

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From rising costs to shifting markets, American farmers are struggling to make ends meet. Now, the White House is stepping in. On today’s Big Ta...

The Fed Just Cut Rates Again. Here’s What’s Ahead for 2026

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee cut rates by 25-basis points. It was the scenario a lot of close watchers of the Federal Reserve expec...

India Wanted to Become The World’s Toymaker. Then Tariffs Happened

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US tariff war with China sent American companies scrambling to find alternative manufacturing hubs. India looked promising until the White House u...

What to Expect in the DOJ Epstein Files Release

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After last month’s passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the US Department of Justice is on the clock to release an enormous cache of d...

Weekend Listen: Salman Rushdie Isn’t Afraid of Free Speech

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Salman Rushdie was nearly killed when he was stabbed 15 times on stage in upstate New York in 2022. His injuries were so severe that he lost an eye. I...

Netflix’s $82 Billion Power Play for Warner Bros.

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

News broke overnight that Netflix is acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $82.7 billion.  It’s a deal raisin...

How Microsoft Excel Conquered Corporate America

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Excel. If you work in corporate America, that word either inspires laser-focused productivity or pure dread. Over the last 40 years, the spreadsheet s...

Are We Headed For Another ‘Crypto Winter’?

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back in October, Bitcoin reached a record high. Just a few weeks later, its price had plunged, taking out over $1 trillion dollars in assets along wit...

Hong Kong's Deadly Fire Triggers Rare Public Outrage

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in decades has stirred up public anger over negligence, safety standards and official accountability. On today&r...

Where US-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff flew to Moscow, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited France. Witkoff is expected to meet with Ru...

Weekend Listen: Ken Burns Says Gratitude Is the Missing Ingredient in Our Politics

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ken Burns has been telling stories about America for almost 50 years. The lauded documentary filmmaker has a new series on PBS, The American Revolutio...

The Big Business of the Doodle Boom

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Goldendoodles, bernedoodles, labradoodles, cockapoos, everywhere you look, it seems like doodles — those fluffy, adorable poodle mixes — a...

Wanted: Fed Chair. Must Run World’s Largest Economy, Manage Up

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Weeks before the Trump administration is expected to name its pick for the next US Federal Reserve chair, current White House economic adviser Kevin H...

All Eyes on Japan and China Tensions After Taiwan Remark

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a rare public comment on Taiwan from Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, relations between the two nations are at a historic low &...

Inside Trump’s Retribution Campaign

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, a federal judge threw out the criminal cases filed by the Department of Justice against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorn...

Checking the Math on Trump’s $2,000 Checks

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Under new pressures over inflation and affordability, President Donald Trump has been talking up a plan to share tariff revenues with Americans, in th...

Weekend Listen: The Godmother of AI, Fei-Fei Li

23 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stanford University Professor Fei-Fei Li has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence research for 25 years, which is why she’s been cal...

Harassment Concerns at Oxford Went Unaddressed for Years

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford University has repeatedly been slow to act when confronted with allegations of harassment, assault and inappropriate behavior by male academics...

Nvidia Silences AI Skeptics (For Now)

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nvidia released its third quarter earnings Wednesday, crushing estimates and easing Wall Street’s concerns about an AI bubble. On today’s ...

The Hot Market for Jobs No One Wants

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a period characterized as “low-hire, low-fire,” the American labor market is seeing a surge of layoffs from companies like Amazon, S...

China Tests the Limits in the Race for Biotech Power

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China is investing heavily in cutting-edge genetic experiments. It’s part of their quest to become a biotech superpower. On today’s Big Ta...

How Private Equity Got Its Hands on Billions in Americans’ Retirement Money

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apollo Global Management reinvented how pensions could be managed and paid out — by taking them over and moving the risks offshore. Other firms ...

Weekend Listen: Former UK Spy Chief Was Paid to Steal Secrets, Not Solve Mysteries

16 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For almost 40 years, Richard Moore was a career spy in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service. Only his closest friends and family knew what he d...

They Voted for Trump. His Tariffs Took Down Their Family-Owned Sawmill

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in North Carolina relied on exporting its goods to China and Vietnam after a dip in domestic demand for high-quality ...

The Most Worrying — and Reassuring — Signals in the US Economy

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In recent weeks, a number of economic warning signs have put investors on edge, from growing skepticism over the possibility of an AI bubble to bankru...

Trump Promised Revenge. He’s Using the DOJ to Make It Happen

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When President Trump took office in January, he made it clear that retribution against his perceived political enemies was a key part of his second-te...

Wall Street Speeds Up India Expansion

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wall Street banks are on a hiring spree across India, recruiting workers for everything from software engineering to risk management as part of a deca...

Why a K-Shaped US Economy Is Raising Red Flags

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US economy appears remarkably resilient right now, but if you look closer, you’ll see a different picture emerge: a growing divide between A...

Weekend Listen: Julia Ioffe Wants You to Know Russia Is Bigger Than Putin

09 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you tell the history of a whole country through its women? And what can it tell us about the world today? These are the questions Russian-Ameri...

What’s Trump’s Venezuela Endgame?

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The United States has struck more than a dozen boats off the coast of Venezuela over the last two months, killing more than 60 people.The Trump admini...

How the Longest Government Shutdown Is Impacting the Economy

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ongoing US government shutdown has broken historic records — and its economic consequences could prove even longer-lasting. Today on the Big...

Mamdani Won on Affordability. Can He Win Over NYC’s 1 Percent?

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zohran Mamdani clinched New York City’s mayoral race by campaigning against wealth inequality and promoting affordability. Now, he faces the cha...

How APEC Become a Battleground for US-China Influence

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Asian nations are walking a tightrope between Washington and Beijing – juggling trade, tech and security pressures as the heavyweights vie for i...

It’s Not Just You. There Are a Lot of Layoffs Happening

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The last time the United States saw layoff numbers this high was during the Covid-19 pandemic. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg US Economy...

Weekend Listen: Nobel Laureate Believes US Pressure on Maduro Is the Only Way

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Three weeks after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado finds herself supporting US interventi...

WNBA Players Want More of the League’s Revenue. Can They Get It?

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The WNBA is bigger than ever. From soaring ticket sales and to record TV viewership, the W is one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world. ...

Trump Got an ‘Amazing’ Meeting. China Got Much-Needed Time

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday, President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China announced a one-year truce in their trade war, capping six contentious months of...

Is the Fed Flying Blind?

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, following its 25-basis-point cut in September. But amid a government shutd...

An American Toymaker Struggles to Break Up With China

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US-China tariff war has upended global manufacturing, forcing companies like Chicago-based Learning Resources to fundamentally change how and wher...

New York’s MTA Chief on Trump’s Funding Threats

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Running North America’s largest transportation network is no easy task. Janno Lieber, the CEO and Chair of New York’s Metropolitan Transpo...

Weekend Listen: Nigel Farage Thinks Britain Has Had Too Many Unifiers

26 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After successfully pushing for Brexit, political disruptor Nigel Farage announced his retirement. Last year, he returned to frontline politics as the ...

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Shutdown Day 23

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On day 23 of the second-longest government shutdown in American history, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sits down with Big Take Host David Gura...

How Did an Alaska Native Corporation Become an ICE Detention Giant?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last decade, Nana Regional Corp. — an Alaska Native corporation based in a small community roughly 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle ...

Xi’s Rare Earths Bargaining Chip Is a Trade War Game Changer

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China’s dominance of rare earths has given Xi Jinping powerful leverage over Donald Trump ahead of their expected meeting next week.  On to...

The Race to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the biggest names in tech and Hollywood are training their sights on Warner Bros. Discovery, the media and entertainment conglomerate that own...

A Brazen, 7-Minute Jewelry Heist at the Louvre

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In just seven minutes, thieves in France made off with a cache of royal necklaces, tiaras and earrings in a robbery at Paris’s famous Louvre &md...

Weekend Listen: Mishal Husain Interviews Canadian PM Mark Carney

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney talks to Mishal Husain about trade battles, Vladimir Putin's miscalculations and what he's learned from Donald Tru...

Amex v. Chase: Who Will Win the Battle for America’s Top Shoppers?

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The competition for America’s wealthiest shoppers is heating up, with credit card companies like American Express and Chase using every perk in ...

Why Global Economic Leaders Are Predicting a Slowdown

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are holding their annual meetings in Washington, DC and so is the Institute of Internati...

What’s Driving The Rush to Invest in Gold

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gold always shines during uncertain times, but escalating tensions between the US and China and signals from the Federal Reserve that we could see at ...

Having a Baby? This Company Will Give You $72,000

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

South Korean companies are offering workers tens of thousands of dollars (tax free) to have babies. But are cash incentives enough to address the coun...

The Front Lines of Trump's Trade War? Look at Kentucky

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s an unexpected place starting to feel the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade war: Kentucky.  Bloomberg’s Josh W...

The Rebel Army Behind One of the World’s Major Rare-Earth Supplies

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Myanmar is the world’s third-largest producer of rare earths and a critical supplier for neighboring China. But rebels have recently taken contr...

The International Pressure That Led to the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Escalating international and economic pressure led to a new peace deal in Gaza. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder is joined by Bloo...

The AI Deals Raising Fears of a New Tech Bubble

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI and AMD. OpenAI and Nvidia. Oracle and OpenAI. Nvidia and Oracle. There is so much AI-on-AI dealmaking happening in the industry right now, it ...

The Rise of Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ and Its Political Shift to the Right

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in history, Japan’s ruling party has elected a woman as its leader. Sanae Takaichi, 64, is an unconventional figure — a...

Pay Up Or Move Out: The Americans Losing Their Homes to ‘Zombie’ Mortgages

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They’re called “zombie” mortgages: old second loans from the subprime era that many homeowners had good reason to believe were cance...

Will the Shutdown Lead to DOGE 2.0?

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the Big Take, we hear from our colleagues over at Everybody's Business, Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin. This week’s topics inc...

Welcome to Undergrad. Meet Your 81-Year-Old Classmate

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A growing number of colleges and universities across the US are trying to address dwindling student enrollment and tight finances by opening their doo...

Even Six Figures Can’t Save You From NYC’s Rent Crisis

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The rent is too high…even for high-earning New Yorkers. In the wake of unprecedented rent hikes, residents across America's largest city are fi...

The Shutdown Will Make the Fed’s Decisions Harder

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US government shutdown will have serious implications for the collection and distribution of federal economic data used to gauge the health of the...

AI Data Centers Use a Lot of Energy. You May Be Paying for It

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI needs a lot of energy — and a new Bloomberg investigation has found that those soaring costs are being passed on to consumers who live near d...

What a Looming Shutdown Means for Markets

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The US government is facing its first potential shutdown in nearly seven years, and the clock is ticking. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg...

The Kindbody Story: E5, The Baby Project

27 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Kindbody employee discovers the company is helping an imprisoned billionaire father multiple children through surrogates and egg donors. In this epi...

The Kindbody Story: E4, Fertility Care, Meet Sales Targets

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kindbody implements quotas requiring doctors to perform more lucrative procedures, internal company documents show. In Episode 4 of IVF Disrupted: The...

Argentina’s Economy Is Struggling. Why Is the White House Stepping In?

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent surprised markets when they signaled broad economic support — including a...

Trump vs. the UN

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The United States is responsible for about 20% of the UN’s annual budget. But it hasn’t paid its dues in months. And the UN Secretary-Gene...

Breaking Down the Proposed US-China TikTok Deal

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After months of negotiation, the US and China have reached a tentative agreement to secure TikTok’s future in the US. On today’s Big Take ...

How Private Equity Lost Its Mojo

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fewer deals. Long wait times for returns on investments. Struggles with fundraising. Even with an interest rate cut, private equity, which thrives on ...

The Kindbody Story: E3, Rocketship to Nowhere

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kindbody doubles its size overnight through a major acquisition, with executives telling employees they'll be rich enough to buy private jets. In Epis...

The Kindbody Story: E2, The Embryo Mixup

20 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dina and B arrive at Kindbody for the embryo transfer they've dreamed about for years. But their doctor delivers news that will make them question whe...

The Kindbody Story: E1, The Fertility Spa

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018 a startup emerged, aiming to revolutionize fertility care with spa-like clinics and Silicon Valley swagger. Kindbody attracted millions from i...

Structured Products Are Back. Why the Boom and What’s the Catch?

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When he announced the Fed’s decision to lower interest rates by 25 basis points, Fed Chair Jerome Powell made clear there’s still a bumpy ...

Introducing IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody Story

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kindbody, one of the largest fertility companies in the US, sought to disrupt egg freezing and IVF by combining spa vibes with Silicon Valley efficien...

With Inflation Still Sticky, Fed Shifts Focus to the Jobs Market

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, a move intended to address concerns about cracks in the labor market. It w...

The Gen Z Protestors Challenging Asia’s Ruling Elite

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Across South Asia, Gen Z protestors are flooding the streets, demanding change. These protests have resulted in some of the worst violence Nepal and I...

Tesla’s $1 Trillion Bet on Elon Musk’s Leadership

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, news broke that Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently bought about $1 billion worth of Tesla stock causing the company’s share price to jump. ...

What We Know About the Man Arrested for Charlie Kirk’s Death

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The FBI has identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Robinson was arrested on suspic...

Trump Ally and Political Strategist Charlie Kirk Killed at 31

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Turning Point USA co-founder and close ally of President Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon while speaking at an even...

We Got 18,000 of Jeffrey Epstein’s Emails

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bloomberg News has obtained 18,000 emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s personal email account. The emails cover two decades and a wide range of topics...

John Malone Laid the Groundwork for Cable TV. Then Streaming Arrived

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Billionaire John Malone earned the nickname “Cable Cowboy” for revolutionizing television and laying the groundwork for the modern interne...

Xi’s Bromance Diplomacy Is Challenging Trump’s World Order

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders of China, Russia and India shared smiles and handshakes, putting on a surprising show of unity in a striking moment that went viral earlie...

Trump Is Unwinding Climate Science at a Dangerous Pace

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

By slashing budgets, cutting staff and revoking funding for grants and permits, the Trump administration has effectively gutted key U.S. climate polic...

A Judge Ruled Google Monopolized Search. Then Came AI

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, a federal judge reached a decision in a landmark antitrust case against Google and its monopoly over online search. But the company avoide...

Can a Smaller HUD Fix the Housing Crisis?

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America is in the midst of a historic housing crisis, with record homelessness levels and a nationwide shortage of affordable housing. Addressing this...

Why Long-Term Bond Yields Are Up in the US, UK and Japan

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A global selloff in long-dated bonds — including 30-year UK gilts, US Treasuries and Japanese government bonds — has deepened. On today&rs...

What Xi Jinping’s Military Purge Means for China and the World

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Beijing is holding its first military parade since 2019, showcasing the strength of China’s armed forces. Underneath the show of power, a Bloomb...

The Crises Vying for Dwindling Foreign Aid

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The dismantling of USAID is contributing to a 17% drop in foreign aid this year. That’s put some of the world’s worst conflicts in competi...

The Latest Science on Extreme Heat: How Hot Is Too Hot?

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly half a million people die every year as a result of extreme heat. That’s more than the total from hurricanes, earthquakes and floods comb...

Taylor Swift Wedding Predictions Are the Hottest New Trade

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gamblers on prediction sites like Polymarket and Kalshi are already trying to cash in on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement — bett...

Trump Has a Shipbuilding Dream. Can South Korea Make It a Reality?

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

South Korean shipyards are busier than they’ve been in years. Seoul and Washington are working to finalize a new trade deal that will include a ...

Why Trump Is Trying to Fire Lisa Cook

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump shared a letter on social media Monday night, addressed to Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook stating he had made the dec...

What the End of the De Minimus Trade Loophole Means for Your Shopping

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This Friday, a big change is coming for the more than 4 million inexpensive packages that enter the US daily from abroad: President Donald Trump is en...