Big Take

A growing number of Ukrainian entrepreneurs, engineers and tech workers are joining the war effort against Russia, making and delivering a key tool: drones. They’re low-cost, high-impact and can do everything from transporting supplies to dropping bombs across enemy lines. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Technology editor Jake Rudnitsky talks with host Sarah Holder about the burgeoning cott...

China’s Luckin Coffee is the nation’s top coffee retailer, overtaking even Starbucks. That would be notable itself, but less than 4 years ago the company filed for bankruptcy, making its comeback even more unlikely. The turnaround is in part thanks to the chain’s automated stores, cut-price deals and innovative drinks that appeal to local tastes. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks...

French voters shocked the world on Sunday by rejecting Marine Le Pen’s efforts to see her far-right National Rally party take control of France’s legislature. And across the channel in Britain, a new government is set to enter parliament on Tuesday after voters last week gave the country’s left-leaning Labour Party a majority. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura discusses the reaction to...

With the US presidential election on the horizon and no end in sight to the Russia-Ukraine war, Bloomberg’s Annmarie Hordern sits down with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for an exclusive interview. They discuss where the conflict stands now, what it would take to secure a peace deal and a possible end to the war – and Zelenskiy’s thoughts after watching the US presidential debate. On today...

The car sales industry in North America ground to a halt in mid-June after sophisticated cybercriminals took down CDK Global, the software provider with a near-monopoly on the industry. It caused chaos in the middle of one of the biggest seasons for car-buying. Dealers couldn’t access their inventory. Buyers couldn’t get cars off the lot. And customers feared for their personal data. On today’s Bi...

One after another, bankers at China International Capital Corporation — China’s premier investment bank – are pledging loyalty to the Communist Party, underscoring a new reality for Wall Street-style capitalists in the era of Xi Jinping. Today on the Big Take Asia, host David Gura speaks with Bloomberg’s Cathy Chan about the tug-of-war between communism and capitalism at th...

There is a growing push from retail traders, international investors, and a few big hedge funds to do something once unthinkable: keep stock markets open for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But when do traders sleep if Wall Street never shuts? On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg finance reporter Katherine Doherty joins host Sarah Holder to break down what’s behind the growing demand for after-ho...

You’ve probably felt the pain of inflation. And you’ve also probably heard about shrinkflation — when companies respond to inflation by keeping their prices steady and making their products smaller. But have you heard of ‘upflation’? It’s a new tactic consumer goods brands are using to get people shopping again. From whole-body deodorant to more genres of razor, companies are tweaking everyday ess...

Four years after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city, Hong Kong continues to serve as an important financial hub connecting mainland China with the rest of the world. But beneath the surface, the consequences of the crackdown are far-reaching. Today on the Big Take Asia, ahead of the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s China ed...

LVMH has a sprawling portfolio of brands synonymous with luxury: Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Bulgari, Celine, Tiffany & Co., Hennessy and Veuve Clicquot. Its CEO, Bernard Arnault, almost never speaks to journalists and doesn’t have the name recognition of the likes of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, but regularly vies with them for the title of richest person in the world and has an almost...

AI data centers are huge energy black holes, consuming as much energy as 30,000 homes – and their rapid growth is straining global grids. The numbers are astonishing: Sweden could see power demand from data centers roughly double over the course of this decade. In the UK, AI is expected to suck up 500% more energy over the next decade. And in the US, data centers are projected to use 8% of total p...

What do Robert Kraft, Kevin Durant and Joe Tsai – owner of the Brooklyn Nets – all have in common? They’ve decided to go big on a new professional sport: lacrosse. Historically popular in East Coast colleges and prep schools – with a strong Canadian presence – these days, the Premier Lacrosse League is hoping to broaden its appeal to anyone looking for something other than baseball to watch during...

As the $4.3 trillion hedge fund industry has boomed and competition for talent has intensified, firms are turning to a new strategy to get ahead: in-house boot camps. The goal is to mold promising new hires into future superstar traders. Today on the show, Bloomberg’s Nishant Kumar joins host Sarah Holder to discuss what goes on inside these training programs — and what their rise means for the fu...

France’s President Emmanuel Macron shocked the world and sent tremors through global stock markets last week with his decision to call a snap election. The move was prompted by a stronger-than-expected showing by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in European Union elections. Now, EU politicians are worried about the potential of another Brexit-style crisis that could plunge the contin...

Indonesia’s nickel business is booming. The metal is a key component in electric car batteries, but its success has a dark side: the country’s nickel mines and processing plants have a history of fatal accidents, with workers being run over by forklifts and burnt to death in smelter fires.  Today on The Big Take Asia, host Janet Paskin speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about...

Have you had the flu recently? Or RSV? Or just … some bug that you can’t quite shake? If so – you’re not alone. Bloomberg’s data team recently decided to investigate whether or not the perception that we’re all getting sick all the time is actually backed up by numbers. And what they found was truly surprising: in countries around the world, people are getting much sicker, much more often in the w...

For over a decade, America’s central bank has had an inflation target of 2%. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced that it would keep its main interest rate unchanged in order to try and get inflation to that magic number. But what if the Fed is thinking about inflation all wrong? On today’s episode, host David Gura talks to Bloomberg’s Managing Editor for US economic policy Kate Davidson ab...

Reports of alleged imposters are cropping up more and more in the family office frenzy in Singapore and Hong Kong. The ultra wealthy use family offices to manage their finances and affairs. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg investing reporter David Ramli about the secretive nature of the family office industry and why scammers are so hard to spot. Plus, she hears fr...

One factory making pain and fever medications for children used contaminated water. Another made drugs for kids that were too potent. A third made nasal sprays for babies on the same machines it used to produce pesticides. A new Bloomberg investigation reveals that big pharmacy chains have used cheaper, independent factories with a history of manufacturing violations to make store-brand drugs that...

As Ukraine’s war against Russia drags on, the country has found itself engaged in the kind of trench warfare that once seemed unthinkable in the modern age. This kind of warfare requires very old battlefield technology — and its tearing through the US’s stockpile. Today on the show, host David Gura speaks with Bloomberg reporters Billy House and Roxana Tiron about the World War II-era factories in...

The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, has become one of the most prominent leaders in the development of artificial intelligence. But some people – including current and former OpenAI employees – have questioned how trustworthy Altman is, and whether he is doing enough to inform the public about the technology. On today’s show, Host David Gura is joined by Ellen Huet, host of Bloomberg Technology’s podca...

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lost its majority in India’s parliament. The stunning blow is forcing Modi to rely on allies to form a government for the first time since he stormed to power a decade ago. On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha digs into India’s 2024 general election results with Bloomberg reporter Sudhi Ranjan Sen on the ground in New Delhi. And Milan Vais...

People go to Miami for a lot of reasons including winter sun, Cuban food, retirement. But Bloomberg’s Denitsa Tsekova recently traveled to South Florida for something a little different: Hedge Fund Week. There, she discovered something truly shocking: some of the biggest, boldest short-sellers are abandoning their strategy. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura speaks to Denitsa about why t...

A race is on to map millions of farms around the globe – all in the hopes of saving the world’s forests. A new EU deforestation regulation requires companies to prove their goods don’t contain products grown on deforested land. But that’s no easy task. And billions of dollars in global trade are at stake. On today’s Big Take podcast: Bloomberg Global Food Tsar Agnieszka de Sousa breaks down just w...

Generative AI is back in the news – and not for a good reason. First, OpenAI made headlines after the voice it introduced as part of its latest GPT update sounded eerily like Scarlett Johansson. Then, Google’s newly-introduced “AI Overview” feature started returning some questionable results – like that eating rocks might be good for you, or that cheese can help prevent cavities.  On today’s Big T...