If you’ve bought an airplane ticket recently, you may have noticed that there are a lot more options to choose from — and a lot more line items to pay for. It’s all part of airlines’ strategy of “premiumization.” And it’s why the front of the plane is getting cushier, while coach can feel like a low-cost shakedown. 

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Businessweek senior reporter Amanda Mull joins host Sarah Holder to discuss how airlines are rethinking their pricing — and what it means for airline revenue and your flight experience.

Read more: Why the Flying Experience Feels So Much Worse

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Bloomberg reporter Leslie Patton has noticed a pattern looking at the earnings of mid-priced, brand name companies like Kraft and Luvs. Their sales are down, while the sales of similar products on either end of the price spectrum — cheaper generics and high-end premium goods — are up.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Leslie joins host Sarah Holder to discuss how this “middle brand squeeze” is playing out on grocery store shelves.

Read more: Shoppers Are Ditching Classic Brands They Once Loved

Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.

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Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus pioneered micro loans as a tool to fight poverty. Now prosecutors in Bangladesh have linked him and his colleagues to a dizzying number of crimes, including embezzlement and laundering millions of dollars. 

Today on The Big Take, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Kai Schultz about the complicated saga and what implications Yunus’s case has for Bangladesh, one of the fastest growing economies. We also hear from Yunus himself, who talks about the rift between him and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the personal impact of the legal drama.

Read more:
Bangladesh Sentences Nobel Peace Prize Winner to 6 Months in Prison

Big Money Backs Tiny Loans That Lead to Debt, Despair and Even Suicide

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Ever since the first Olympics were held over a century ago, the Games have been known for dazzling sporting feats…and dazzlingly expensive opening ceremonies. Recently, the ballooning cost of hosting the Games has led residents in Boston, Rome, and Oslo to reject efforts to bring the Olympics to their cities. As a result, the International Olympic Committee is hoping to rein in costs – starting with Paris.

On today’s podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with Bloomberg reporter Hugo Miller about the lessons Paris 2024 is trying to take from the first and only profitable Olympics held in Los Angeles in 1984 – and why no less than the future of the Games is at stake.

Read more: Faster, Higher — Cheaper? Paris's Budget Effort to Reboot the Olympics

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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 cottage industry that’s transforming the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war – and what the shift to drone warfare could mean for conflicts around the world.

Read more: Ukraine Is Fighting Russia With Toy Drones and Duct-Taped Bombs

Further listening: 

• Zelenskiy Talks Trump, Biden and US Election
• Ukraine’s Frontline Fight Is Changing How the US Prepares for War

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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 with Bloomberg’s Rachel Chang on how Luckin managed to turn around its failing business to overtake Starbucks, and asks whether it can hold on to its success as coffee takes off in China, and more rivals emerge.

Read more: China’s Luckin Coffee Is Back From the Brink and Beating Starbucks

Further listening: What Does China’s Economic Slowdown Mean For the Communist Party? 

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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 the surprise result in France with Bloomberg Opinion columnist Lionel Laurent, and Bloomberg’s Head of Economics and Government Stephanie Flanders breaks down why the landslide victory for Keir Starmer and Britain’s Labour Party isn’t necessarily as clear-cut as it might seem.

For more, listen to Bloomberg’s “Voternomics” podcast.

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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’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s lead on national security coverage Nick Wadhams sits down with host Sarah Holder to analyze the most important moments from the Zelenskiy interview and game out what the outcome of the US election could mean for the future of Ukraine.

Watch the full interview: Zelenskiy on Putin, Russia Cease-Fire Prospects, Trump and US Election

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Climate leaders from around the world have convened in Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN’s biggest annual climate conference, COP29. And this year, it’s all about money. 

Member nations are negotiating over how much responsibility rich countries have to finance the energy transitions of smaller economies. But larger global tensions loom over the proceedings — including the reelection of Donald Trump.

In today’s episode, Bloomberg’s senior climate reporter and host of Zero Akshat Rathi calls in from COP29 to update host Sarah Holder on the unfolding negotiations and how America’s new president-elect changes the conversation. 

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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 Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior technology editor Dana Wollman and host Sarah Holder discuss what getting back to normal for dealerships might look like, how the group of hackers behind the shutdown operate, and why industries that rely on centralized software systems — from education to healthcare — are vulnerable.  

Read more: BlackSuit Cybercrime Gang Blamed in CDK Hack That Roiled Car Dealers

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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 the “Morgan Stanley of China,” and how politics are redefining Chinese finance.

Read More: China’s Investment Bankers Join the Communist Party as Morale (and Paychecks) Shrink

Further listening: What Does China’s Economic Slowdown Mean For the Communist Party?

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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-hours trading on platforms like Robinhood, whether regulators will ever approve such a move, and what happens to the opening bell if the New York Stock Exchange never closes.

Read more: 24-Hour Stock Trading Is Booming – and Wall Street Is Rattled

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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 essentials and jacking up the price. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg consumer goods reporter Leslie Patton tells host Sarah Holder where to spot upflation in the wild – and how to avoid paying extra for everyday products. 

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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 editor Alan Wong about how Beijing is reshaping Hong Kong, its impact on the city’s residents and what that means for Hong Kong’s future.

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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 impossible-to-measure influence over the business world.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s Brad Stone and reporter Angelina Rascouët recently landed a rare interview with Arnault, where they learned how he built his empire from the ground up. And they consider a burning question: At 75 years old with five grown children in the business, what are his plans for succession?

Read more: The House of Arnault

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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 power by 2030, up from 3% in 2022.

On today’s podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg reporter Josh Saul discuss just what these insatiable AI data center power needs mean for local communities, energy prices, and efforts to switch to renewables to combat climate change.

Read more: AI is Already Wrecking Havoc on Global Power Systems 

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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 the summer.

On today’s episode, Philadelphia Waterdogs players Jake Carraway and Ryan Conrad on what it's like to juggle working on Wall Street during the week and playing lacrosse on the weekends and PLL founder Paul Rabil on his ambitious plans to emulate the success of the UFC. And host David Gura and Bloomberg reporter Bailey Lipschultz discuss what PLL’s story can tell us about other efforts to turn sports like cornhole and pickleball into big-money professional leagues. 

Read more: Wall Street Bankers Skip Hamptons Summer for Pro Lacrosse League

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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 future of the industry.

Read more: Hedge Fund Talent Schools Are Looking for the Perfect Trader

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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 continent’s second-largest economy into gridlock.

On today’s podcast, host David Gura speaks to Bloomberg Opinion columnist Lionel Laurent about what’s behind the strength of the far-right not just in France, but across the EU – and what this rightward shift means for relations between Europe and the US in a pivotal election year.

Further Listening: To find out what the rise of the far-right means for the left in Europe, check out the latest episode of the Bloomberg series Voternomics, “How the Left Lost Its Way in Europe” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 his investigation into the mines. He found that nickel sourced from these plants are present in the supply chain that feeds virtually every major seller of EVs, and is an indispensable part of the car industry’s green revolution.

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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 wake of the pandemic.

On today’s episode, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg data reporter Jinshan Hong try to solve this global health mystery – including the potential culprits behind the surge in sickness and what we can do to avoid getting ill so often.

Read more: Yes, Everyone Really Is Sick a Lot More Often After Covid

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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 about the reasons the Fed introduced an inflation target in the first place, and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Mohamed El-Erian about the risks if the Fed is wrong about this – and who could be hurt the most.

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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 from Medway Investment board director Eric SayWei Neo about how people like him are becoming amateur detectives to try to weed out suspected imposters.

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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 compete with the likes of Motrin and Tums. 

Today on the podcast, host David Gura speaks with national health care reporter Anna Edney about her new research into the factories making tainted drugs. She reveals that one pharmacy chain has had nearly double the recalls of its closest competitor – and the loophole that shielded all of these pharmacy chains from liability.

Read more: Dozens of CVS Generic Drug Recalls Expose Link to Tainted Factories

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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 America ramping up production to meet Ukraine’s ammunition needs. And he hears from Ukrainian Sergeant Andrii Shadrin about how this shortage is playing out on the frontlines.

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Higher tariffs. Geopolitical flare-ups. Inflammatory comments. All across Asia, countries are bracing for the return of Donald Trump.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, we unpack what a second Trump term means for China, India and other Asian economies – who are the potential winners and losers and what’s ahead. Host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Daniel Ten Kate, Bloomberg’s executive editor for Asia economy and government, Chan Heng Chee, the ambassador-at-large with the Singapore Foreign Ministry, and Erin Murphy, deputy director of Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Read more: Trump Is Set to Elevate China Hawks, Deepening Beijing Rift

Further listening: The Economic Impact of Trump’s Promises

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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 podcast Foundering: The OpenAI Story. Huet spent months talking to people who know Altman, including some of the world’s biggest investors, his mentors and even his sister.

Bloomberg.com subscribers can listen to the entire series of Foundering right now. Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts for early access.

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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 Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, delves into what the results mean for both India and the world. 

Read more: India Election Results

To hear more from Milan Vaishnav listen to his podcast, Grand Tamasha.

To hear more about our coverage of Narendra Modi, listen to our series, The Rise of Modi.

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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 the rise of meme stocks, a bull market, and increasing regulatory scrutiny are leading some leading investors like Jim Chanos to abandon the strategy that made them famous. And she explains why the demise of these often-reviled investors isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Read more: Short Sellers in Danger of Extinction After Crushing Stock Gains

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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 what’s in these new rules – and why the price of everything from cocoa to coffee and lipstick to tires could rise.

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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 Take, host David Gura speaks to Bloomberg AI reporter Rachel Metz and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Dave Lee to get to the bottom of just what’s been happening in the world of generative AI – and what these latest headlines mean for the way we’re all getting our information now and in the future.

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All of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors were shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. As the country's energy needs soar, debate is heating up over whether to bring the world’s largest nuclear plant back online.

On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg reporter Shoko Oda about her visit to the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant and the challenges to rebooting it.

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Google’s “moonshot” factory, dubbed “X,” encouraged researchers, engineers and developers to dream big for years – no project was too ambitious or too expensive. But recently there’s been a shift. With the tech boom in the rearview mirror, tightening budgets and the rising popularity of ChatGPT, Google has turned its focus away from chasing longshot inventions to expanding its search engine business and AI operations.

In today’s episode, Bloomberg’s Julia Love tells host Sarah Holder what this means for Google and tech innovation at large.

Read more: Google’s Moonshot Factory Falls Back Down to Earth

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South Africa is at a turning point. Thirty years after Nelson Mandela rose to power on a platform of equality, peace, and prosperity, the party he headed is facing serious challengers.

In the country’s May 29th election, the African National Congress Party, or ANC, looks poised to lose its outright majority. In today’s episode, host Sarah Holder is joined by Johannesburg-based economic and government affairs reporter Ntando Thukwana to discuss why voters are souring on the ANC – something once unthinkable for the party that lifted the country out of apartheid. 

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Since Donald Trump’s reelection, Bitcoin has surged to its highest value ever, surpassing $89k per coin on Tuesday. It’s a trend playing out across cryptocurrency, an industry that could benefit from deregulation under President Trump. 

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s stacy-marie ishmael and David Gura break down whether the recent “melt up” in crypto prices is part another of boom-bust cycle or if the US’s first crypto-friendly president is likely to usher in a new era in digital assets.

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Netflix is the biggest paid subscription streaming service in the world. But two years ago, its dominance was in question after it reported its first subscriber decline in over a decade. So the company did something radical: it cracked down on password sharing. The man behind the move? Well, he’s now one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.

Meet Greg Peters, the co-CEO of Netflix. Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw recently sat down with Peters for his first major print profile. He tells host  David Gura about Peters’ bold plan to transform Netflix and the way all of us watch everything from TV shows to sports.

Read more: Netflix Had a Password-Sharing Problem. Greg Peters Fixed It

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After four decades of unparalleled gains in income and wealth, China’s 1.4 billion have been hit by a series of blows: a real estate collapse, a trade war with the US, and a crackdown on entrepreneurs have stalled the country’s prosperity engine.

On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha dives into how China’s slowing economy is affecting people on the ground, and how Beijing is responding to that shift. Ha talks to Bloomberg correspondent Rebecca Choong Wilkins in Hong Kong and Bloomberg’s Chief Economist Tom Orlik.

Read more: ‘Are You Better Off?’ Asking Reagan’s Question in Xi’s China

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The deaths of Iran’s president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash were followed by a declaration of an official mourning period ahead of a new election.

It also has led to new speculation about who is poised to succeed Iran’s supreme leader, which could have regional and global ramifications.

On today’s episode, hosts David Gura and Sarah Holder discuss the fallout of the president’s death with Bloomberg’s Middle East, Europe and Africa news director Rosalind Mathieson and national security editor Nick Wadhams.

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The meme stock era, led by Keith Gill, aka “Roaring Kitty,” seemed to have come and gone — until this week, when he reemerged on social media. It was enough to send shares in GameStop and AMC on a wild ride again, conjuring memories of 2021’s meme stock mania.

So what’s really going on? On today’s episode, Bloomberg’s Money Stuff columnist Matt Levine schools us in Meme Financial Markets — and breaks down for host David Gura what these wild moves mean for anyone interested in putting money in the stock market.

Read more: GameStop Is Back!?

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After Berkeley, California, became the first city in the US to ban natural gas in new buildings in 2019, it gained an unlikely opponent: the California Restaurant Association. The industry group sued the city, and kicked off a four-year-plus legal battle that ended with the city backing down. But when Bloomberg’s Ben Elgin started following the money, he found evidence that raised questions about where the association got its support. 

In today’s episode, host Sarah Holder speaks with Elgin about the fight against California gas bans and how gas companies are planning to leverage that victory nationally.

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In 2002, Narendra Modi was facing the biggest political crisis of his career. But in the aftermath of riots that left more than 1,000 people dead – most of them Muslims – he saw an opportunity to turn his fortunes around. He would go on to become one of the most powerful leaders India has seen in decades.

Host K. Oanh Ha, Bloomberg’s Sudhi Ranjan Sen and author Nilanjan Mukhophadyay trace how Modi and his government have been able to transform India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

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Narendra Modi is arguably the world’s most popular politician. With nearly 1 billion Indians eligible to vote in a six-week election that concludes on June 4, Modi and his party are expected to win a majority for the third time in a row and extend their decade in power.

But there are also concerns over human rights and religious and press freedoms that many political leaders, CEOs and bankers in the West appear willing to overlook. On our first episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Sudhi Ranjan Sen chart how Modi built up so much power over the last several decades – and why he is both a beloved and divisive figure.

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When he was first elected to lead France in 2017, President Emmanuel Macron promised nothing less than a revolution. Since then, he’s pushed through controversial pension reforms, slashed taxes, and made it easier for French companies to fire employees. Now, he’s setting his sights beyond France. 

On the sidelines of the Choose France summit in Versailles, Macron speaks to Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait about his bold plan to transform Europe. And he issues a stark warning about what could happen if Europe’s economic growth fails to keep up – not just for the continent, but for global security.

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President-elect Trump ran on a promise to help American consumers. As he prepares to take office, the question becomes whether his policies will play out the way he sold them — and how they could evolve as he tries to put them into practice.

Bloomberg Economics has done the math on Trump’s plans, and chief economist Tom Orlik joined host Sarah Holder to look at what Trump’s agenda could mean for inflation, GDP and US taxpayers.

Read more: Your Guide to Trump’s Day-One Agenda — From Taxes to Tariffs

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There are more than 100 million pieces of space trash — defunct satellites, rocket parts, dead batteries — all floating around in Earth’s orbit.

That can pose a problem in space, of course, but it’s an even bigger one when these objects re-enter the atmosphere and crash down to Earth.

On today’s episode, host David Gura speaks with Bloomberg’s space reporter Bruce Einhorn about the startups racing to clean up space, and with a Florida homeowner who found out the hard way that this problem isn’t as far away as it seems.

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Tim Cook picked up the mantle from Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple over a decade ago and grew it into a multi-trillion dollar company. Now, as Cook nears traditional retirement age, speculation abounds about who will succeed him. 

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman joins host David Gura to discuss the challenges of replacing Cook, his potential successors and how that decision will impact one of the best-known brands in the world. 

Read more: Tim Cook Can't Run Apple Forever. Who's Next?

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“Buy Now, Pay Later” options have exploded in popularity and availability, and in the midst of stubborn inflation, Americans are even using them to buy essentials like groceries.

But not all of the BNPL providers report data like credit card companies — and no one knows exactly how much debt consumers owe.

On today’s episode, host Sarah Holder talks to reporters Paulina Cachero and Paige Smith, who tried to find out more about the size and scope of the debt.

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Bill Hwang amassed a fortune of $36 billion on Wall Street through his family office, Archegos Capital Management. But over the course of one week in 2021, the firm imploded. Federal prosecutors have since charged Hwang with 11 criminal counts, including securities fraud, wire fraud and racketeering.

Today, Bloomberg’s Sridhar Natarajan and Kathy Burton join host David Gura to discuss Hwang’s rise and fall and why his trial promises to be one of the biggest, and most interesting, in the history of Wall Street.

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Since 2020, Salesforce CEO and co-founder Marc Benioff has been on a mission to plant and preserve one trillion trees. The idea behind his initiative, 1t.org, is simple: A tree is good at taking carbon dioxide out of the environment. And more trees mean more greenhouse gas removal.

Four years, millions of dollars, and dozens of pledges from non-profits, NGOs, national governments, and private companies later – how close is Benioff to one trillion trees? Today, host Sarah Holder talks to Bloomberg wealth reporter Sophie Alexander about why a billionaire decided to go all in on reforestation, why the private sector followed, and why the initiative is lagging behind. 

Read more: A Billionaire Wanted to Save 1 Trillion Trees by 2030. It’s Not Going Great.

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Omaha, Nebraska, is billionaire Warren Buffett’s hometown. A quirk in the state’s election law also means it could wind up deciding the 2024 presidential election.

On this episode, Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin talks to Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb and Bloomberg White House reporter Josh Wingrove, who traveled to Nebraska, to understand the fight to secure Omaha’s vote and the possibility of Warren Buffett entering the fray.

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