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Episode 20

Why Are People So Mad at Michael Lewis?

Lewis got incredible access to Sam Bankman-Fried, the billionaire behind the spectacular FTX fraud. His book is a bestseller, but some critics say he went too easy on S.B.F. Lewis…

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Episode 256

What Are You Waiting For?

Standing in line represents a particularly sloppy — and frustrating — way for supply and demand to meet. Why haven’t we found a better way to get what we want?…

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Episode 396

Why Does Tipping Still Exist?

It’s an acutely haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. We dig into the data to find out why.

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Episode 332

Why the Trump Tax Cuts Are Terrible/Awesome (Part 2)

Three former White House economists weigh in on the new tax bill. A sample: “The overwhelming evidence is that the trickle-down, magic-beanstalk beans argument — that’s just nonsense.”

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Episode 297

The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money (Replay)

It’s hard enough to save for a house, tuition, or retirement. So why are we willing to pay big fees for subpar investment returns? Enter the low-cost index fund. The…

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Episode 522

Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us? And is Google Search finally…

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Episode 70

Prison Labor

Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from motor oil to prescription glasses — often for pennies per hour. Zachary Crockett reports from North Carolina….

An All-Pay Auction

pay, this means that the professor rakes in about three times the amount being auctioned. This is an example of what auction theorists call an “all-pay” auction, and it’s a…




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EXTRA

Remembering Susan Wojcicki

The former YouTube C.E.O. — and sixteenth Google employee — died on August 9, 2024. Steve talked with her in 2020 about her remarkable career, and how her background in…

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Episode 239

The No-Tipping Point (Replay)

The restaurant business model is warped: kitchen wages are too low to hire cooks, while diners are put in charge of paying the waitstaff. So what happens if you eliminate…

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Episode 15

How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control?

Also: why do we procrastinate?…


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Episode 13

Yul Kwon: “Don’t Try to Change Yourself All at Once.” (Update)

He has been a lawyer, an instructor at the F.B.I. Academy, the owner of a frozen-yogurt chain, and a winner of the TV show Survivor. Today, Kwon works at Google,…

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Episode 68

Why Do We Want What We Can’t Have?

Also: why are humans still so tribal?…

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Episode 69

How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong?

Also: What’s the best way to handle rejection?…

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Episode 15

How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control? (Replay)

Also: why do we procrastinate?

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Episode 179

Can You Really “Manifest” Success Through Positive Visualization?

Is there any scientific basis for the law of attraction? Are people who believe in “cosmic collaboration” more successful? And what happens when you write yourself a check for $10…

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Episode 49

How Does Facing Death Change Your Life?

Also: why are we so bad at assessing risk?…

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Episode 493

Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million?

Adam Smith famously argued that specialization is the key to prosperity. In the N.F.L., the long snapper is proof of that argument. Just in time for the Super Bowl, here’s…

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Episode 460

The True Story of the Minimum-Wage Fight

Backers of a $15 federal wage say it’s a no-brainer if you want to fight poverty. Critics say it’s a blunt instrument that leads to job loss. Even the economists…

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Episode 522

Is Google Getting Worse?

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us?…

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Episode 633

The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. Javier Blas and…

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Episode 27

The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. Javier Blas and…

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Episode 517

Are M.B.A.s to Blame for Wage Stagnation?

New research finds that bosses who went to business school pay their workers less. So what are M.B.A. programs teaching — and should they stop?…

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Episode 47

Bail Bonds

How does bail work — and who’s really paying? Zachary Crockett follows the money….

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Episode 87

How Much Are the Right Friends Worth?

Harvard economist Raj Chetty uses tax data to study inequality, kid success, and social mobility. He explains why you should be careful when choosing your grade school teachers — and…


Pay When They Let You

It’s one Los Angeles boutique owner’s answer to the pay-what-you-wish pricing scheme: only open your store to customers you want to let in — and set prices on the spot…



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Episode 493

Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million? (Update)

Adam Smith famously argued that specialization is the key to prosperity. In the N.F.L., the long snapper is proof of that argument. Here’s everything there is to know about a…