Big Take

Tensions between the US and China have deepened since the last time a US president traveled to Beijing for a summit, in 2017. President Trump’s return to China, in a swirl of dinners and festivities, generated positive optics for host and guest alike, but brought less apparent progress on some of the biggest bilateral sticking points, from tariffs and trade to US arms sales to Taiwan. On tod...

The oldest Gen Alphas are still in high school, but some of the early reviews have been scathing. Unruly. Nihilistic. Bad at reading. Yet when Bloomberg Businessweek’s Stacey Vanek Smith dug into the research, she emerged with a more optimistic view on the most online generation yet. Tech savvy. Globally minded. Also, preternaturally good at skincare. On today’s Big Take podcast, Smith...

This year has seen an uptick in falsified videos and other online disinformation with a common theme: advancing Kremlin interests. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg investigative reporter Stephanie Baker tells Sarah Holder how she identified nearly 200 social media posts and videos that bear the hallmarks of a Russian influence operation that researchers call Storm-1516. Baker, who has...

Despite India facing economic headwinds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party defied expectations with a stunning state election sweep — capped by a historic win in opposition stronghold West Bengal. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi about how the BJP secured a shock victory and what an emboldened Modi might mean for India...

After eight years as chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell’s term concludes this week. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg Fed correspondents Catarina Saraiva and Amara Omeokwe to look back at Powell’s successes, missteps and legacy — and what shape the central bank could take in the future. Read more: Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s...

As a high-stakes Trump–Xi summit looms, tensions over the Iran war and defiance of US sanctions threaten to derail what could be one of the year’s most consequential meetings. On Trumponomics, Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders is joined by Jennifer Welch, chief geoeconomics analyst for Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg News executive editor Dan Ten Kate to unpack whether the talks will ha...

Supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement helped put President Trump in office for a second term. But just months ahead of the US midterm elections, key voices in the coalition say they feel betrayed. On today’s Big Take podcast, guest host Tim Stenovec and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Deena Shanker track MAHA’s growing frustrations with the White House, from the fallout...

The Federal Reserve in the United States has struggled to return inflation to its 2% target while navigating criticism from President Trump and scrutiny from the Department of Justice. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg’s Maria Eloisa Capurro discuss her interview with Boston Fed President Susan Collins. They explore inflation, the economic fallout of the confli...

Can NASA put astronauts on the moon in 2028? Why does the US need a lunar base? NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman joins guest host Tim Stenovec on today’s Big Take podcast episode to discuss the new space race with China, how NASA can compete for talent with SpaceX and Blue Origin – and why he doesn’t think we’re alone in the universe.  Read more: www.bloomberg.com/spa...

China’s decision to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus stunned the global AI industry. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Newley Purnell and Lulu Chen about how the deal crumbled and what it signals for Chinese startups trying to go global. Read more:  China’s Meta Backlash Renders Manus Model ‘Off...

For global airlines, this year was supposed to be a big one. The industry projected record profits — backed by more than 5 billion passengers — and a busy summer travel season ahead. But then came the war in Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and major disruptions to global jet fuel supplies. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Global Aviation Editorial Leader B...

For more than 30 years, the Indian-born writer Amitav Ghosh has built a global following with novels that draw on deep historical research.  But his latest offering, Ghost-Eye, is more esoteric. The plot moves back and forth between India and the US, using past lives to explore the ties between the personal and the political. The plot centers on a psychiatrist treating a 3-year-old who shocks...

Game apps like High 5 Casino and Monopoly GO! are wildly popular. Players pay up for perks and the mobile game industry makes money – a lot of money. But scrutiny on these kinds of games and what some players call addictive, gambling-like qualities could challenge the way they do business. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg reporter Vernon Silver go inside the...

The US government is required to pay back $166 billion in revenue it collected as part of sweeping global tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura talks with Bloomberg economics reporter Laura Curtis and a trade expert in the field about the logistics of that payout, whether any of that money will reach consumers and how politic...

Amid the nervousness about whether AI will replace human workers, one company has been aggressively seeking professionals. The San Francisco startup, Mercor, isn’t hiring experts to perform their jobs; it’s paying them an hourly rate to teach their daily routines to AI agents.  On today’s Big Take podcast, reporter Tom Foster takes host Sarah Holder into the world of Mercor...

As global attention is focused on war in the Middle East, North Korea has been accelerating its nuclear and missile program — testing new weapons and producing more warheads. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Jon Herskovitz on Kim Jong Un’s aggressive nuclear buildup and the strain that puts on US defenses. Read more: North Korea&rsqu...

Global markets have been remarkably resilient amid major geopolitical and economic disruptions, from the Iran war to US tariffs, as investors find cause for optimism in strong earnings and AI. On today’s Big Take podcast, Sarah Holder talks with Asia equities reporter Winnie Hsu, and Ruth Carson, chief FX/Rates correspondent in Asia, about what has kept markets strong — and what could...

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Apple guru Mark Gurman joins David Gura to reflect on Tim Cook’s wins and losses as CEO of Apple and what it will take for John Ternus to successfully usher in a new era for the tech behemoth. Read more: Apple CEO John Ternus Confronts Test of Retaining Top Talent   Tim Cook Regrets Maps Flub, Sees Apple Watch as His Proudest Work &nb...

Building powerful AI tools is the goal of companies like Anthropic. But after realizing how powerful its latest update was, Anthropic moved to keep it from the public and turn it into a cybersecurity stress test. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg cybersecurity reporter Margi Murphy walks host Sarah Holder through the story of how Anthropic discovered the risks of its Mythos tech and wha...

In a nomination hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh fielded an array of questions about his personal finances and economic policy views. There was even a reference to Seinfeld . But one topic loomed largest: the independence of the Fed. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg’s Michael McKee go inside Tuesday’s hearing, wh...

India wants to become a manufacturing powerhouse to rival China — but its reliance on the Chinese supply chain for things like batteries and semiconductors makes for a complex and exceedingly difficult puzzle to untangle. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Alisha Sachdev on how corporate India is struggling to navigate this unique geopolitical landscape. Rea...

President Trump said Monday the US will not be rushed into a “bad deal" with Iran. But he also said he was unlikely to extend the ceasefire that expires Wednesday. Meanwhile, the two sides seemed to disagree on whether they’d resume negotiations to end the conflict this week.  On today’s Big Take, host Stacey Vanek Smith and Bloomberg White House Correspondent Kate Sullivan...

Three years ago, Bob Lee, a tech executive famous for creating Cash App, was found stabbed in San Francisco. His killing set off a wave of online fury. Reporter Shawn Wen takes us back to the turbulent days before his killer was arrested, when misinformation and rumors ran rampant. Several tech industry leaders decried violent crime in San Francisco, including David Sacks, who “bet dollars t...

The Strait of Hormuz is now open. In a social media post Friday morning, Iran’s Foreign Minister wrote that Iran will be letting ships through the vital waterway for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. Oil prices fell, and President Trump celebrated. But Iran’s announcement came with a big caveat: Travel must use a “coordinated route,” specified by Iran. On today...

The atmosphere was grim at this week’s IMF and World Bank spring meetings, as global central bankers grappled with economic shocks from the war in Iran, AI and mounting debt. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura sits down with Stephanie Flanders — Bloomberg’s head of Economics and Politics and host of  Trumponomics — and senior economic writer Shawn Donna...