Power and Consequences

Gary and Simon explore the economic & political challenges facing Europe, tackling the impact of the Euro and the tensions arising from immigration and energy dependence. Why hasn't the EU's project to create a unified economy fully succeeded? Why have Europe's capital markets remained fragmented and how has the Euro possibly held Europe back? What has led to the rise of nationalist, euro-scep...

Gary and Simon discuss whether we should slow the development of AI and can we slow its pace? They explore AI's capabilities, limitations, and characteristics which have led to growing real world risks. Unpacking OpenAI's recent Hugging Face incident, they analyze the challenges of aligning AI with human intentions. Will the US be able to get ahead of these risks? Will China cooperate on developin...

Gary and Simon dive into the important topic of the big data centers building boom, particularly for artificial intelligence. No building boom lasts forever. When the slowdown comes, what will be the economic and financial markets consequences? What are the effects on electricity prices, water use, the environment and local communities? This is first of a two part series - next week's discussion w...

Gary and Simon discuss Japan, examining its rise as a global economic powerhouse post-World War II, the valuation bubble that popped in 1990, and the policy mistakes contributing to the ‘lost three decades’ since. What are the lessons from Japan which might apply to China or the United States today? Further, why has the US Treasury recently intervened recently to support the Japanese Yen and how d...

Gary and Simon discuss the complexities of inflation and the Federal Reserve's role in managing it. What effect do political pressures have on the Fed's decision-making process? How does inflation impact financial markets and you? A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short content. For bonus thoughts and recommended re...

Gary & Simon discuss the ongoing Iran war. When is it realistic for the conflict to end? What are the impacts on energy prices, inflation, the economy, and mid-term elections? Will tougher economic sanctions work to end the conflict? What are the geopolitical dynamics and negotiating strategies for Iran, US, Gulf countries, Israel, and China? A video version of Power and Consequences is now av...

Simon and Gary discuss the recent increase in long-term interest rates. How will this affect the federal government budget? Will mortgages, credit cards, and auto loans become more expensive? Is this a sign of deeper concerns in the bond market? What is likely to happen next? A video version of Power and Consequences is now available on YouTube. Please visit that channel also for additional short...

Simon and Gary discuss the relationship between artificial intelligence and labor. How will AI change productivity levels? Will changes in productivity be distributed fairly? And should the history of technology make us optimistic or pessimistic about what comes next? For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensl...

Simon and Gary unpack science funding, tackling the value of basic science, the different roles that the government and private backers play, and the serious effects of the current decrease in U.S. government funding. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Co...

Simon and Gary dive into how the U.S. dollar became the currency hegemon, how this status influences the actions of countries around the world, and what it would take for another currency to become the standard. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commissi...

Simon and Gary discuss the cyclic history of the U.S. federal debt, why the current debt situation is unique, and what can be done to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , is Professor of the Practice of Global Econo...

Simon and Gary unpack key decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term, tackling the impacts of presidential supremacy, birthright citizenship, and tariffs, among other issues. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , is Professor of th...

In the second episode of a two-part series, Simon and Gary discuss how the AI race is affecting countries that aren't currently investing in their own models, how those countries could still create a version of AI sovereignty for themselves, and what the consequences might be for them if they don't. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our n...

In the first episode of a two-part series, Simon and Gary once again dive into AI, asking which country currently has the advantage in the sector. What factors go into determining who's ahead? How do the U.S. and China's AI strategies differ? And are some races not worth winning? For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios...

On the eve of America's semiquincentennial, Simon and Gary discuss three people who shaped the country's technological history, the progress made and setbacks faced on the long road to full inclusion in America, and where the U.S. might go from here. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair...

Simon and Gary unpack key questions surrounding the recent SpaceX IPO and potential future IPOs from Anthropic and OpenAI: why these companies are choosing to go public, whether their success will come at the expense of the broader U.S. market, and what history can teach us about where this all may lead. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for...

Simon and Gary discuss the final frontier. How did the U.S. get so ahead on space launches? Has this success undermined the competitiveness of the sector? And what does the future hold? For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , is Professor of the P...

Simon and Gary tackle what's happening in Cuba, what guides the United States's policy decisions on this topic, and what the possible outcomes are for Cuba going forward. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , is Professor of the Practice of Glob...

Simon and Gary discuss the history of industrial policy in the US, why we've seen a new era of industrial policy in the last ten years, and how to ensure these policies don't go overboard. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , is Professor of th...

Simon and Gary take a deep dive into the issue of responsible AI usage, exploring what agentic AI may be capable of doing, how AI safety should be evaluated, and whether the ultimate perils lie with the algorithms or the humans who use them. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Se...

Newly confirmed Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will have to contend with a host of issues during his term. Simon and Gary discuss how these issues, which include AI, the desires of President Trump, and an existing push for deregulation in the banking sector, may influence Warsh's tenure as chair. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! H...

Ahead of President Trump's meeting with President Xi Jinping, Simon and Gary tackle the economic and technological race between the U.S. and China. What are the numbers behind China's economic success? How might that success affect the outcomes of this week's summit? And ultimately, will China become the new hegemon? For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can...

Simon and Gary have a wide-ranging discussion about the rule of law, tackling, among other topics, the causes of democratic backsliding, current threats to the rule of law, and the economic ramifications of those threats, especially in the context of the Federal Reserve. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Ge...

Simon and Gary provide a primer on how to understand the current tariffs, discuss the history of free trade in the 20th century, and investigate what the effects of these new tariffs might be. For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission , is Professor o...

It may be true that nothing is certain except death and taxes. But our tax system hasn't always looked the same. How did we get to this current system? Who's winning and who's losing? And can that be changed? For bonus thoughts on each episode, visit powerandconsequences.com, where you can sign up for our newsletter! Host bios: Gary Gensler , former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission...