You Might Think Twice Before Buying Those New Jeans

Microsoft is a household name when it comes to Word docs, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, but it’s not the first name many people think of when it comes to cool new tech. At least until recently. The company’s big investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has now launched it to the forefront of tech innovation.  Bloomberg Businessweek writer Max Chafkin joins this episode to tell the story of how the company that once brought us Clippy the interactive paperclip became a power player in the new frontier of artificial intelligence. Read more: Microsoft’s Sudden AI Dominance Is Scrambling Silicon Valley’s Power Structure Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Juni 202326min

By 2030, people over the age of 65 in the US will outnumber those under 18. That’s in part because people are living longer—a testament to modern medicine. But are our health systems and social programs equipped to support so many seniors at the same time? Bloomberg reporter Priya Anand brings us the details on a tech startup that’s trying to fill part of the void in senior care—and the challenges it’s facing. And health economist Jonathan Skinner talks about how the US can actually meet the needs of aging Baby Boomers. Read more: Assault Allegations Plague a $1.4 Billion Home Eldercare Startup Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Juni 202328min

Anti-immigration sentiment has been rising on the right in many countries around the world, including the US, UK, France and Italy–even as these nations are grappling with declining birth rates and aging work forces. Canada has decided to try an entirely different approach: welcoming in large numbers of immigrants to fill key jobs and boost the economy.  So, how’s it working? Bloomberg reporter Randy Thanthong-Knight walks us through the ups and downs of this ambitious experiment. Read more: Mass Immigration Experiment Gives Canada an Edge in Global Race for Labor Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Juni 202321min

NOTE: This episode originally aired in December 2022.---In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, some of the biggest mortgage lenders in the US promised to extend billions in new loans to Black homebuyers. That hasn’t happened. Instead, the numbers are going in the opposite direction.Bloomberg senior economics writer Shawn Donnan joins this episode to talk about why banks have fallen short of the goal–and what it means for families across the country. Dedrick Asante-Muhammad of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition also joins to spell out what needs to be done to fix the problem. Read more: Big US Banks Fall Short on Promises to Create Black Homeowners  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Michael Falero, Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Juni 202331min

We’re on the cusp of a natural – but significant – shift from a cooling weather phase known as La Niña to its considerable opposite–El Niño. This change will bring warming trends globally, and many unwelcome consequences. In some parts of the world, past El Niño events brought drought that destroyed crops and added to fire risks. In other regions, it led to flooding that destroyed homes. El Niños have caused inflation spikes, sapped economic productivity, strained power grids, and driven up food prices. And the extreme heat can also create public health emergencies. Bloomberg’s Ben Sharples and Brian K Sullivan tell us what to expect from this El Niño, and how it will impact our lives.   Read more: This El Niño Threatens New Levels of Global Economic Destruction Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producer: Federica Romaniello, Associate Producer: Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Juni 202322min

America’s affordable housing shortage has been getting worse for decades. Now, some states are trying to ease this crisis by enacting what's been called a “builder's remedy.” These are rules that override local zoning laws and allow developers to build housing in cities that fail to meet state targets.  It’s one of several carrots and sticks governors are wielding to pressure cities into freeing up land for development. What will it take to build enough affordable places to live across the US? Bloomberg CityLab writers  Kriston Capps and Sarah Holder highlight the pitfalls of the current housing shortage, and how states are getting creative to force change.   Read more: Housing-Strapped States Reach for a Fraught Fix: the ‘Builder’s Remedy’ Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net. This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Michael Falero. Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Juni 202327min

As pressure mounts on lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence, another problem area of the technology is emerging: AI-generated images. Early research shows these images can be biased and perpetuate stereotypes. Bloomberg reporters Dina Bass and Leonardo Nicoletti dug deep into the data that powers this technology, and they join this episode to talk about how AI image generation works—and whether it’s possible to train the models to produce better results. Read more: Humans Are Biased. Generative AI Is Even Worse Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Juni 202324min

Donald Trump enters a Miami courtroom today to hear federal criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents that he took with him when he left the White House. The former president also faces investigations into his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and whether he bears some responsibility for the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.  Bloomberg’s Sara Forden and Zoe Tillman dive into the details of the charges against Trump—and what happens next. Read more: Trump Indictment Highlights the Perils of Being His Lawyer Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Juni 202329min