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Ryan Kelley

 
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Is This “The Worst Job in Corporate America” — or Maybe the Best?

John Ray is an emergency C.E.O., a bankruptcy expert who takes over companies that have succumbed to failure or fraud. He’s currently cleaning up the mess left by alleged crypto scammer Sam Bankman-Fried. And he loves it.

10/4/23
46:35

Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy?

They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.)

11/15/23
58:32

You Asked, We Answer

Freakonomics Radio host Stephen Dubner answers your questions about how the show is made, what he’s looking forward to, and what he talks about at parties.

To get Plus episodes, you can sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here.

11/17/23
28:20

Jason Kelce Hates to Lose

Pro footballer and star podcaster Jason Kelce is ubiquitous right now (almost as ubiquitous as his brother and co-host Travis, who’s been in the limelight for his relationship with Taylor Swift). After you hear this wide-ranging interview, you might want even more Kelce in your life.

11/19/23
62:05

Should Public Transit Be Free? (Update)

It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we charge people to use it? The short answer: it’s complicated. Also: We talk to the man who gets half the nation’s mass-transit riders where they want to go (most of the time).

11/29/23
59:51

The Man Who Runs the Subway

New York City transit chief Janno Lieber thinks it’s more important to make trains and buses fast, safe, and reliable than to make them free.

To get Plus episodes, you can sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here.

12/1/23

Do the Police Have a Management Problem?

In policing, as in most vocations, the best employees are often promoted into leadership without much training. One economist thinks he can address this problem — and, with it, America’s gun violence.

12/6/23
55:03

The Crime Nerd Behind UChicago’s Crime Lab

The economist Jens Ludwig on the culture of police departments, the politics of gun control, and why there’s no social progress without truth.

To get Plus episodes, you can sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here.

12/8/23
31:11

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 tells us why the critics are wrong — and what it’s like to watch your book get turned into a courtroom drama.

12/13/23
68:04

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 tells us why the critics are wrong — and what it’s like to watch your book get turned into a courtroom drama.

12/13/23
68:04

“Thirty $3 Million Bets Is My Yacht”

Vinod Khosla on how venture capital is like religion, why institutions can’t innovate, and why he wasted an hour talking to us.

To get Plus episodes, you can sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here.

12/22/23
56:57

Piloting the World’s Most Profitable Airline

Delta C.E.O. Ed Bastian explains how flying became safer than crossing the street, why the company bought its own oil refinery, and whether autonomous planes are the future.

To get Plus episodes, you can sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here.

1/5/24
49:31

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Update)

They’re heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. But back in 2018, they were coming off a long losing streak — and that’s the year we sat down with 49ers players, coaches, and executives to hear their turnaround plans. It’s probably time to consider the turnaround a success.

2/5/24
69:16

Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wish it didn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean they can escape.

3/6/24
47:07

The Suddenly Controversial World of Professional Golf

Sportswriter Karen Crouse talks about the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

To get Plus episodes, you can sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts here.

3/8/24
44:06

Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)

People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We explain why firms keep producing incompetent managers — and why that’s unlikely to change.

4/10/24
54:16

How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives?

From politics and economics to psychology and the arts, many of the modern ideas we take for granted emerged a century ago from a single European capital. In this episode of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, the historian Richard Cockett explores all those ideas — and how the arrival of fascism can ruin in a few years what took generations to build.

5/1/24
62:39

How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives?

From politics and economics to psychology and the arts, many of the modern ideas we take for granted emerged a century ago from a single European capital. In this episode of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, the historian Richard Cockett explores all those ideas — and how the arrival of fascism can ruin in a few years what took generations to build.

5/1/24
61:38

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