Big Take

Representatives for the US and China are in London this week trying to hammer out a potential trade deal. But with US access to China’s rare-earth minerals and China’s access to US semiconductor chips on the table, common ground has been hard to come by. On today’s episode, Big Take host Sarah Holder speaks to Bloomberg’s Brendan Murray, who’s on the ground in London....

Broadway has always been a high-risk, high-reward kind of business — but with costs to mount a production higher than ever, producers are leaning into new strategies to try to recoup investments. Now, as Broadway wraps its highest-grossing season on record, the hottest tickets to celebrity-studded shows are going for upwards of $800. On today’s Big Take podcast, we speak with two Tony...

There's a vital puzzle piece missing as rich nations aim to transform their electricity grids for the AI age: millions of skilled engineers. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Akshat Rathi joins host Sarah Holder to break down how labor shortages in the electrification industry are slowing down the green energy transition and what it would take to turn things around. Plus, the on...

Poland’s election of a Trump-backed conservative nationalist president early this week is part of a larger shift to the right across the European continent: Much like in the US, conservative, nationalist and right-wing parties are gaining traction. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Rodney Jefferson and David Gura discuss the growing cultural divide behind Europe’s ri...

The Nintendo Switch has generated some $100 billion in sales for the Japanese gaming giant since its launch in 2017, propelling the company’s shares to record highs. Now the game-maker is under pressure to do even better with the new Switch 2, out this week. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Bloomberg Opinion’s Gearoid Reidy joins host K. Oanh Ha to talk about why the Switch 2 is...

We’re more than halfway through the 90-day pause on President Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs. That three-month delay was supposed to give the US time to negotiate trade deals with countries around the world. And while talks are ongoing, many deals still seem out of reach. Now, legal challenges to Trump’s tariff strategy have thrown another wrench in the administration’...

As Donald Trump tries to remake global trade, the dollar’s historic dominance in Asia is under pressure. After Taiwan’s currency saw the biggest surge against the dollar in almost 40 years in early May, some money managers are saying the spike signals the acceleration of a bigger trend of moving investments back home. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins...

For decades, General Electric — the conglomerate known for making everything from trains to microwaves — was also known for churning out executives. Time spent at the company’s Crotonville campus was seen as the gold standard for leadership training in Corporate America. But as GE has lost its luster, a new CEO pipeline has emerged. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg wo...

The Trump administration has ramped up its attacks on Harvard University — threatening its tax-exempt status, federal funding and its ability to enroll international students.  On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Brooke Sutherland and Francesca Maglione join host David Gura to unpack the latest developments and how they could ripple beyond the bounds of Harvard’s...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been going through a bit of a MAGA rebrand, complete with a new look — gold chains, grown-out hair, custom boxy, black T-shirts — and appearances on so-called manosphere podcasts hosted by MAGA-friendly comedians like Theo Von and Joe Rogan. Those changes have translated to his company, too. Since January, Meta has rolled back diversity efforts, weakened ha...

Tulum, Mexico has exploded in popularity since the early years of the pandemic. The area’s few Covid restrictions, picturesque beaches and laidback vibes attracted lockdown-weary travelers and helped trigger a real estate boom. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Andrea Navarro and Tanaz Meghjani join host Sarah Holder to discuss the dark side of a pandemic-era development...

In 2001, it was lipstick. After the 2008 financial crisis, it was DIY haircuts. In times of economic turmoil, consumers tend to change the way they spend on makeup and beauty. So what is the beauty industry telling us now about the state of the US economy?  On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Ben Steverman visits a beauty convention and talks to masseuses and hair stylists ab...

Despite the global hype around China’s DeepSeek, very little is known about the man behind it – Liang Wenfeng. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Saritha Rai about the tech founder who led DeepSeek to the frontline of AI advances and what the company’s rise tells us about the battle for AI dominance. Further listening: Why DeepSeek Sent Nvidia,...

After decades in the public eye, 83-year-old media mogul and Fox co-founder Barry Diller is finally ready to tell his story.  On today’s Big Take podcast, Diller joins host David Gura to talk about his new memoir, Who Knew , his storied career as an entertainment executive and his  decision to speak publicly about his sexuality for the first time. Plus, how he’s navigating Pr...

On stage at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, editor at large for Bloomberg Weekend Mishal Husain conducted a nearly 40-minute, wide-ranging interview with billionaire Elon Musk. Husain asked Musk about his future at Tesla, his ongoing feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the possibility of Starlink going public and more. At times, the conversation grew heated, particularly when Mishal asked about...

Over the past year, Apple has pulled out all the stops to tout shiny new AI tools: from big presentations at its Worldwide Developers Conference to ads featuring  The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey. Now, the company is facing questions about what it’s promised versus what it’s delivered. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman takes host Sarah Holder inside...

As of this week, the trade war between the US and China is on pause, with both sides hoping to agree on a new trade deal by early August. But questions remain about how realistic that timetable could be, given the challenges facing the world’s two largest economies, who both collaborate and compete with one another.  On today’s Big Take podcast, Former US Ambassador to China Nicho...

Like a growing number of US communities, Torrance County, New Mexico, is convinced its financial survival depends on locking immigrants up. A lucrative ICE contract keeps a private detention facility open that local politicians say the area needs. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Rachel Adams-Heard and Fola Akinnibi examine how these private facilities are becoming key to the...

Last week, India and Pakistan saw the worst fighting in half a century — and came close to an all-out war. But the conflict came to an uneasy and sudden halt after Donald Trump declared the two countries reached a ceasefire.  On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg’s Dan Strumpf about how the deadly clashes and ceasefire unfolded and the i...

In a stunning turn of events, the US and China announced a dramatic reduction in tariffs, which President Trump portrayed as a “total reset” with China. Stocks rose following the news, but what lies ahead once the 90-day reprieve expires remains uncertain. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Treasury reporter Dan Flatley joins host David Gura to discuss the major takeaways fro...

Japan has a matcha shortage despite record levels of production. Shops are selling out of the green tea powder as soon as they hit the shelves. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Mia Glass about the world’s obsession with matcha – and why producers can’t keep up with the rising demand. Read more: The Global Matcha Boom Is Driving a Shortage in...

Google has lost two antitrust cases in the past year; Meta is currently in court over alleged anti-competitive behavior. Big Tech is in a moment of reckoning that could reshape the industry – and your internet use – for decades to come. Today on the Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Sarah Frier and Sara Forden join host Sarah Holder to unpack the trials seeking to rein in Silicon Val...

A few years ago, a former sitcom writer came up with a weird way to sell Americans cheap health plans, using a loophole in the Affordable Care Act. More than 100,000 households have signed up, but many say the coverage isn’t what they were promised.  On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporter Zach Mider shares what he learned while investigating the plans and what it could me...

In late 2018, five years after launching fish-feeding company eFishery, Gibran Huzaifah found himself all out of cash. To save his business, the CEO started plugging fake numbers into financial reports. The brighter picture drew hundreds of millions of investor dollars. But his house of cards was doomed to collapse. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's David Ramli...

Warren Buffett shocked shareholders when he announced he’d be stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. The 94-year-old business giant had been running the behemoth company for more than 50 years, and his investment decisions have earned him the nickname the “Oracle of Omaha.”  On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior markets editor and Opinion columnist John Au...