Avsnitt
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When Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain interviewed Elon Musk last week, it caused quite a stir. This was especially the case when Musk proclaimed, “in terms of political spending, I’m gonna do a lot less in the future.” (Most news reports missed a sly qualification that made this seem more like an ultimatum. But more on that below). Coverage of the supposed end of Musk’s role as Republican Party’s Sugar Daddy added fuel to the ongoing “what will Elon do now?” frenzy. Over the weekend, a substantial outage at his social media platform X may have added some clarity. In response, the serial entrepreneur announced he was going “back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms.”
Or not. In this episode of Elon, Inc., Max Chafkin brings together Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull and social media reporter Kurt Wagner to discuss whether Musk means what he says about politics, subsidizing the GOP or even going back to work. Is he really leaving politics in the rearview mirror? Or were these statements calculated? Could they be a way for him to intimidate lawmakers who are expecting campaign funds while assuring investors he’s on top of his sometimes struggling companies?
To round things off, they rank Musk’s most immediate plans on a scale of how likely they are to succeed in the foreseeable future. Will it be X Money? A functioning fleet of “robotaxis?” Or maybe shooting Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus to Mars? There was some disagreement.
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Check out the feed of our sister podcast Everybody's Business in any podcast app of your choice. After several week's of cross publishing, in the future you're going to have to head to that feed to enjoy the show. But for now...
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All the economy is a stage this week, as the “big beautiful” tax bill passed the House in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and millions of college graduates got their diplomas and set off into the the job market, competing with an ever growing army of robot workers.In the second episode of Everybody’s Business from Bloomberg Businessweek, hosts Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin dive into the tax bill, the AI job threat, and the turning of (actual) lead into (actual) gold.
The tax cut extension still has to pass the Senate, but the House version would add roughly $4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, and would be, by far, the most expensive policy the Trump administration has enacted. In spite of this, the tax bill has not gotten nearly the attention of other policies, including the Department of Government Efficiency (its cuts have not amounted to even 1% of the federal budget). But all the sound and fury signifying a rounding error is by design according to author and economic journalist Kyla Scanlon. Scanlon says you can learn a lot about the Trump Administration’s economic policies by watching Wrestlemania.
Then Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier joins to talk about AI and jobs. Fears are growing in the US workforce that jobs are being lost to artificial intelligence, and a new study estimates up to ⅓ of jobs in developed countries will be “transformed” by AI. Frier looks at what jobs might be under threat and how real the worries are.
Finally, Stacey and Max talk about a major development in commodities markets. Scientists were able to turn lead into gold! Stacey thinks this could be a turning point for the gold market and all mankind. Max has doubts…after all, all that glitters is not gold.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Elon Musk was interviewed Tuesday by Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. The wide-ranging conversation spanned the multibillionaire’s work on behalf of President Donald Trump and at his “Department of Government Efficiency,” protests against Tesla and a careful assertion that he might wind down his political contributions. The chat turned tense at times, with Musk becoming visibly upset while discussing demonstrators who vandalized Tesla showrooms and how “DOGE” has vastly undershot its promised savings. In this week’s Elon, Inc., David Papadopoulos and Max Chafkin dissect some notable moments from the interview.
Also on the show, Max goes through the wild week of xAI’s chatbot Grok. First off, the artificial companion spent an entire day talking about “White genocide” in clearly irrelevant responses to unrelated queries. The company then managed to strike a deal with prediction betting site Kalshi and finally ended up in the cloud of arch-nemesis Microsoft. Max has a lot of explaining to do.
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Elon Musk was just interviewed by Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain at the Qatar Economic Forum. It was a sometimes tense exchange that covered everything from DOGE savings, via Tesla protestors, to Elon’s plans to wind down his political contributions. Today’s episode of Elon, Inc. will break down the interview and analyze highlights but for now, you can listen to the whole 40 minutes here.
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Where’s the inflation? With this week’s Consumer Price Index coming in softer than predicted (inflation at its lowest level since 2021, according to government data), a lot of people are wondering why tariffs haven’t pushed prices up. In the debut episode of Everybody’s Business from Bloomberg Businessweek, hosts Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin tackle President Donald Trump’s trade war, inflation and when the rubber will (if ever) hit the road.
Consumer spending columnist Amanda Mull takes Stacey on a tariff tour through Target, explaining why import taxes have yet to show up in inflation data and how you’re likely to see them in the future. It turns out flatscreen TVs, pineapples and mascara will all manifest tariffs in different ways. Mull concludes tariffs could very well ruin Christmas.
Then sports reporter Randall WIlliams joins to talk about why private equity has started buying up sports teams. It turns out teams are becoming more valuable as games dominate live television, attracting bigger audiences (and commanding higher ad rates). That’s got private equity sneaking into the game, pumping up prices and injecting billions of dollars into teams. Randall concludes that private equity won’t ruin sports (but Max and Stacey are skeptical). Finally, for the underrated story for the week, we look at the rising trend of rising sneaker soles. Shoe brands are creating ever puffier soles even as racing authorities try to put restrictions in place. Ultramarathoner Max realizes his beloved sport is in the crosshairs of controversy.
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In this week’s episode of Elon, Inc., host Max Chafkin and Bloomberg Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull sit down with Matthew LaBrot, a former Tesla sales manager who made headlines last week following his departure from the company. LaBrot was the man behind the “Tesla Employees Against Elon” website, which consisted of an open letter from an initially anonymous LaBrot criticizing the company’s multibillionaire CEO. He suggested Tesla would be better off continuing its mission without the South Africa native, his antics and the headlines that follow in his wake. Despite recent reports of the company board also having second thoughts about Musk’s performance as CEO, the company seemingly didn’t agree, and took swift action.
On the podcast, LaBrot outlines why he decided to write the letter, how he came to part ways with the company and how Tesla employees handle, or willfully ignore, “the elephant in the room.” As a former sales manager, LaBrot also spells out the internal struggles of the company as sales started plummeting in tandem with Musk’s far-right turn and association with President Donald Trump.
Hull and Chafkin also go through a list of additional Musk news from the week. These include a spat with Bill Gates, some good news for the Boring company and the latest example of cross-pollination in the Musk empire: Tesla hardware powering xAI’s supercomputer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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This week on Everybody’s Business, Max and Stacey explore the future of friendship. With OpenAI and Meta ramping up efforts to give chatbots personalities and emotional intelligence, the hosts ask: could an AI ever truly be your friend? And will this lead to the downfall of humanity? Reporter Sarah Frier joins the conversation.
Then, Lights, Camera... Tariffs? President Trump wants to slap massive new taxes on films shot overseas, arguing it’s a national security issue. Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw stops by to explain what this could mean for the movie industry, how real the threat is, and what this might mean for the movie industry.
Finally, for the underreported story of the week, Max and Stacey attempt to untangle an international crypto story. It’s a wild tale of geopolitics, digital cash, and the ever-expanding business of influence.
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It’s no secret that Elon Musk isn’t a big fan of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. He and his companies have been the subject of a plethora of investigations and regulatory scrutiny over the years (who can forget the infamous words “funding secured”?), and there’s currently a probe of Musk’s acquisition of Twitter shares. But only recently have Musk’s minions begun to ramp up their efforts to shrink the SEC. And while the “Department of Government Efficiency” has hugely missed the mark in terms of how much Musk claimed it would cut, hobbling the SEC could have profound consequences for Musk’s fortune. On this week’s episode of Elon, Inc., host David Papadopoulos is joined by Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Max Chafkin, Bloomberg Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull and SEC reporter Nicola White to discuss Musk’s run-ins with the agency and what we can possibly expect from DOGE’s doings.
Speaking of eyebrow raising—Musk just scored a big victory in Texas when residents of the small community near SpaceX’s rocket launch site voted to officially incorporate the area as “Starbase.” Bloomberg legal reporter Madlin Mekelburg joins the gang to discuss.To end things, Chafkin has spotted a brewing feud in Musk’s world. No, it’s not the Tesla CEO vs. the Tesla board, it’s Elon Musk vs. his neighbors—and this spat has it all.
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In the fifth (top secret) episode of Bloomberg Businessweek’s new podcast Everybody’s Business, hosts Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith look the first 104 days of the Trump administration--particularly the last 4. Businessweek editor Brad Stone joins to discuss Amazon's face-off with Trump, the GDP's downturn and the resignation of Mike Waltz.
Then David Papadopoulos joins from the sidelines of the Kentucky Derby, where he explains why betting on the races is softening and why retirement is often more lucrative for horses than running (and what a retirement it is!).
Finally, as the underrated story of the week, Stacey and Max discuss the rise of new media in the White House press corp, including one influencer who famously thought the moon had disappeared after she didn't see it for several days.
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Today marks the 100th day of the second Trump administration. It also means it’s been about 100 days since Elon Musk transformed the US Digital Service into what he and Trump contend is a government cost-cutting initiative named after Musk’s favorite crypto coin. With the Trump news cycle more intense than ever and Musk the fastest moving part of it, today’s episode of Elon, Inc. attempts to make sense of the past three-and-a-half months.
What we do know is that the “Department of Government Efficiency” has only cut a fraction of the $2 trillion Musk initially promised, and that the South Africa native’s pledge of full transparency has come to nearly naught. Meanwhile, the entire effort is the subject of furious litigation over its arguably unconstitutional nature. Host David Papadopoulos gathers Max Chafkin, Dana Hull and Bloomberg technology reporter Kurt Wagner to break down Musk’s activities as his 130 days as a special government employee nears a close. What has been Musk’s biggest win? Biggest loss? What event has been the most surprising or under reported? The gang has its work cut out for them.
Also, David, Dana and Max zero in on the robotaxi. Supposedly launching in Austin, Texas, in June, much of Tesla’s still-high valuation is bound up with Musk’s idea of a self-driving cab, and a lot of time was dedicated to it during last week’s Tesla earnings call. After years of promises, will the robotaxi actually see the light of day? How big of a fleet are we talking about? Will it survive an already crowded market?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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In the fourth (top secret) episode of Bloomberg Businessweek’s new podcast Everybody’s Business, hosts Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith grapple with the rise of the Man-o-sphere. Elon Musk is backing away from Doge, but his legacy will linger, and Max reveals the man behind Doge (hint: it’s not Elon)
Then Sarah Frier joins the show to talk about the former talent agent who introduced President Trump to the Manosphere and how he politicized the space. And how one clip of President Trump talking to a podcast host about cocaine won the hearts and minds of the manosphere and put them squarely on team Trump.
Finally, as the underrated story of the week, Stacey and Max discuss an AI tool invention that got a Columbia student suspended and then won him millions in venture capital
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Last year was a big year for Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, seeing as it made headlines by successfully inserting a chip into a human’s brain. Soon the world may marvel at a quadriplegic man playing chess using nothing but his mind. And while there are other companies in the field of neurotechnology, Neuralink has received outsized attention thanks to its deeply controversial founder. His ultimate ambitions are lofty—including characteristically extreme claims of products that can enable mental control of robotic limbs or substitute spoken communication all together.
But brainwave-powered chess aside, as the South Africa native becomes more famous (or infamous) for his role as President Donald Trump’s government-gutting deputy than co-founder of an embattled electric car company, Neuralink has managed to endure his notoriety. In this week’s episode, David Papadopoulos catches up with Bloomberg technology editor Sarah Frier to discuss what Neuralink has been up to, how its fundraising is going and what the company’s plans are for 2025. Also, Papadopoulos talks with Musk reporter Dana Hull and Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Max Chafkin about Tuesday’s Tesla earnings call. Coming at a tumultuous time for the company, Musk has promised it will also be a “company update.” Chafkin and Hull break down what to expect.
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In the third (semi-secret) episode of Bloomberg Businessweek's new podcast Everybody’s Business, Businessweek Editor Brad Stone fills in for Max Chafkin and joins Stacey Vanek Smith to talk trade war winners an losers. Though uncertainty still surrounds many of the Trump Administration's tariff policies, some trends are starting to emerge. Brad and Stacey select their winners and losers based on what we know so far.
And Harvard University is making headlines this week as it pushed back against Trump Administration demands. Now the University is at risk of losing billions of dollars in federal funding as well as its tax exempt status. Reporter Janet Lorin has been following the story and explains the stakes: What does it mean for universities if they lose federal money and why is the story captivating us so much?
Finally, Everybody's Business goes to space. A group of women, including entertainer Katie Perry and CBS's Gayle King, went on a short trip to space. The voyage has been heavily critiqued, but Brad argues that this is, indeed, a milestone.
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It’s tax day in the US, and the Internal Revenue Service is reeling from more potential firings courtesy of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE.” But DOGE headlines seem to have abated of late. What does it mean? Has Musk turned his gaze back to his actual businesses? Has the media’s attention span run out? Are the South Africa native’s efforts to terminate tens of thousands of government employees and shutter federal agencies—potentially in violation of federal law—continuing under the radar? Plus, what is going on with Tesla shares amid all the tariff-inspired volatility? To talk DOGE, guest host Joel Weber of Bloomberg Explains is joined by Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull and Wired senior writer Makena Kelly. Then Bloomberg stocks reporter Esha Dey joins to talk Tesla ahead of next week’s earnings report.
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In the second episode of Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s new podcast Everybody’s Business, Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith talk market turmoil. The stock market has been on a wild ride ever since the Trump Administration put sweeping tariffs in place, but it was trouble in the bond market that seemed to get the President’s attention and inspire the White House to hit pause on the tariffs. Tracy Alloway of the Odd Lots podcast joins to help explain.
And what does a big, global company like Apple do in a protectionist world? Mark Gurman, Bloomberg’s Chief Correspondent covering consumer technology, explains why the tariff announcement has hit Apple’s stock especially hard and how much you can expect the price of your iPhone to rise.
Finally, have scientists unearthed an ancient howl? Stacey is blown away while Max is (unsurprisingly) skeptical.
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When Donald Trump unveiled that big list of countries and their respective tariffs, the markets reacted immediately by nosediving. In the days since, business leaders, tech founders and global CEOs have been making noise about how their companies will be negatively impacted. And even though Elon Musk is now part of the Trump administration, he’s also jumped into the fray, feuding with Trump adjutant Peter Navarro on (where else?) X. This is the biggest split between Trump and Musk we’ve seen yet. To talk about these developments, Elon, Inc. regulars Dana Hull and Max Chafkin are joined by Bloomberg editor Craig Trudell and political correspondent Nancy Cook.
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In the first episode of Bloomberg Businessweek’s new podcast Everybody’s Business, Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith try to make sense of “Liberation Day”—Donald Trump’s recent introduction of steep tariffs on imports from seemingly every corner of the globe. Will these taxes "fix" the economy like a hammer helps a headache? Or are they a tool to change an unsustainable system of global trade?
Then Businessweek editor Brad Stone joins to discuss reported recent attempts of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Oracle’s Larry Ellison to acquire TikTok. After a dramatic near-decade of politicians trying to cancel the app in the US, will an unlikely cabal of investors manage to save America’s new favorite pastime?
Also, Max shares what story he thinks deserved more attentions this week. It’s all about bats.
Everybody’s Business is a Businessweek production. It will live in the Elon, Inc. feed for a few weeks until it gets its own home starting May 16th.
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On Friday night, news broke that Elon Musk was merging his company X with his company xAI—a move that this very podcast, Elon, Inc., had predicted last year. This week, a campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court looms very large, as Musk is again spending millions of dollars to (Democrats contend) try and tilt an election in the Republican Party’s favor. Today, we talk about what the Friday night news means for Musk’s financial world and what the Wisconsin race means for his political future. This episode features social media reporter Kurt Wager, Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull, Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Max Chafkin and host David Papadopoulos.
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Elon Musk’s leverage over the Republican Party, made plain by his threats to finance primary challenges against anyone who fails to fully support Donald Trump, comes from his multibillion-dollar bank account. Recently, he’s decided to spend some of that money on behalf of the party. In Wisconsin, Musk has spent upwards of $13 million to sway a state supreme court race that has ramifications for Republican control of the US House of Representatives. To discuss this, host David Papadopoulos is joined by Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull, Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Max Chafkin and politics reporter Ted Mann. Then, later in the episode, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Steve Man joins to talk about his optimistic view on Tesla sales.
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Elon Musk has been making news at a furious pace as he seeks to dismantle wide swaths of the federal government at Donald Trump’s behest. His behavior has certainly been enough to fill the pages of Judd Legum’s new publication, Musk Watch. The newsletter, an offshoot of Legum’s Popular Information Substack, launched on Inauguration Day. Since then, he’s used his background in law, journalism and digging through public records to keep track of the South Africa native and what he and his “Department of Government Efficiency” have been doing.
How does one keep track of someone like Musk? In this special episode of Elon, Inc., Bloomberg technology editor Sarah Frier sits down with Legum to talk about his work, the potential legal consequences for Musk and his minions and an alternate universe where Musk behaves in a less controversial fashion.
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- Visa fler
