NPR's Planet Money

AI summaries are gaining traction and making the potential for a “zero click web” increasingly real. What does that mean for the internet as we know it today? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — AI is pumping out books. Are they any good? (http://lnk.to/lw4QzF) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

About one in 20 car loans made to young people are in serious delinquency. That’s the highest rate since the global financial crisis. Today on the show, former FDIC chair Sheila Bair answers young listeners' car buying questions.  Sheila Bair’s book is How Not to Lose a Million Dollars: A Young Person's Guide to Avoiding the Tricks and Traps of Our Financial System (https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-not-to-lose-a-million-dollars-sheila-bair/7dd0705caf3afd1d?ean=9780807533512)   Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) .  Your Next Listen  — Why this former banking regulator is writing kids books (http://lnk.to/p9uEtP)   Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter)   — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

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The Indicator’s Darian Woods tells us about a South Korean semiconductor chip company making a splash on the NASDAQ; Adrian Ma explains why young people are moving back with the ‘rents; and Producer Cooper Katz McKim details Connecticut's experiment that takes citizen’s government participation to new levels. WHAT IS “THE INDICATOR”? A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, “The Indicator” helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy. It's a quick hit of insight into money, work, and business. Audio episodes publish Monday through Friday, and video episodes publish most Fridays. You can LISTEN to “The Indicator from Planet Money” podcast, five days a week, here: Apple - https://n.pr/4iA0Xft Spotify - https://n.pr/4azEfBU NPR App - https://n.pr/4oBKdpw 👍Like this video to see more from us 🔔Subscribe to “The Indicator” - https://www.youtube.com/@planetmoney?sub_confirmation=1 📨 Follow the Indicator Newsletter - https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter ❤️Get sponsor-free listening to Planet Money and bonus episodes - https://n.pr/3MC1QIg

Once upon a time, if you wanted to buy a luxury brand item secondhand (say, a Chanel handbag) you had to have an in. There was no easy way to find one. But over the past decade, the market for secondhand luxury goods has exploded. There are now many online resellers where you can shop for used and discounted luxury items. One big problem — how can you be sure if it’s real and authentic? Some online resellers claim to have solved this problem. They say they’ve developed a process of authentication, and so buyers can trust that the bag is really Gucci or Cartier or Hermès or whatever. But according to some luxury brands, authenticity is something that is often imitated but never replicated. In today’s episode of Planet Money, the fight between Chanel and The RealReal. And how luxury brands are reacting to the enormous and growing secondhand market for luxury goods. Support: • Planet Money+ (https://n.pr/3HlREPz) Read:  • Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD) • Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter (https://n.pr/3zrFvUB) • Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter (https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator) Follow:  • Instagram (https://n.pr/3FqLuws) • TikTok (https://n.pr/3sGZdrq) • YouTube (https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C) • Facebook (https://n.pr/3h92GwS) This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk and Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Charlotte Isidore, who also fact checked this episode. Jess Jiang edited the show and it was engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

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When it comes to AI, Google’s Gemini does not have the same household recognition that Claude and ChatGPT do. One big explanation: the innovator’s dilemma. We explain how Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is trying to fight a lumbering company’s constraints to build AI superintelligence.  Sebastian Mallaby’s book is The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/752231/the-infinity-machine-by-sebastian-mallaby/)   Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) .  Your Next Listen  — The inventor’s dilemma (https://www.npr.org/2023/05/31/1179235807/the-inventors-dilemma)   Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter)   — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE)   — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

This Summer School, come along as we travel the world in search of the best economic ideas to bring home! For more on the 2% target, check out Planet Money's Fighting Inflation With Mind Magic Downunder https://n.pr/target

跟随我们环游世界，寻找最佳经济理念带回家！ 从巴布达的海滩到挪威的峡湾，金钱（以及金钱问题）无处不在。在这个夏季旅行季，《金钱星球》暑期学校将带你开启一场听觉上的世界之旅。带上你的好奇心和冒险精神，这是我们的海外学期。我们将探索异国风情，发现文化习俗，同时也会静下心来，跟随我们的向导学习世界各地最重要的经济课程。 我们从距离《金钱星球》总部最远的地方——新西兰和澳大利亚——开始。我们将参观一个养羊场，观察一个创新但备受争议的市场，这个市场关乎地球上最重要的物质；我们还会探讨投机者何时帮助了我们，何时又伤害了我们。接着，我们将认识一位经济学家兼爵士音乐家，他通过发布一个秘密数字来驯服可怕的“野兽”，从而改变了全世界对抗通胀的方式。这是如何实现的？剧透：这是经济思维技巧的一次巨大飞跃。 精选剧集： • 《流动性市场》（2021年）（https://www.npr.org/2021/08/31/1032979418/liquid-markets） • 《秘密目标》（2018年）（https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/11/30/672366380/episode-879-the-secret-target） 精选术语： • 多重均衡 • 通胀目标制 • 投机者（对流动性的影响） 支持我们： • 《金钱星球+》（https://n.pr/3HlREPz） 阅读： • 我们的书：《金钱星球：塑造你生活的经济力量指南》（https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD）（有声书在此：https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ） • 我们的每周长篇《金钱星球》通讯（https://n.pr/3zrFvUB） • 我们的每周《指标》链接汇总通讯（https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator） 关注我们： • Instagram（https://n.pr/3FqLuws） • TikTok（https://n.pr/3sGZdrq） • YouTube（https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C） • Facebook（https://n.pr/3h92GwS） 本期《金钱星球》暑期学校由罗伯特·史密斯主持。由索菲亚·帕利扎-卡尔制作，西拉·华雷斯事实核查，黄安莉负责音频工程，罗伯特·罗德里格斯提供协助。 音乐：NPR源音频——《来自伊帕内玛的男孩》、《清理》、《长途驾驶》和《邦迪》。 关于我们为赞助目的收集和使用个人数据的信息，以及管理你的播客赞助偏好，请参见 pcm.adswizz.com（https://pcm.adswizz.com）。 NPR隐私政策（https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy）。

Too much news, there’s just too much news. Today on the show, we tackle three big stories we’re following: Venezuela’s ever-increasing debt problem, the real story behind high egg prices, and how gaming companies are paying the pied piper. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) .  Your Next Listen  — What the cluck is happening with egg prices? (https://lnk.to/KMOMshWE) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter)   — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE)   — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

Depends on where you live, but renters have a lot of power right now in the United States. What’s behind this trend and how might you be able to take advantage of the renters’ market at your next lease renewal. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — Corporate landlords aren't the real villain (http://lnk.to/D5bJ85) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

The US defense industry is struggling to keep up with the revolution in cheap drones vs. expensive reusable military equipment.  Today on the show, we talk with Stacie Pettyjohn, the director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security on the three big reasons the U.S. is falling behind. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — How Iran is wasting American resources (http://lnk.to/cdv7m4) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer scorer of all time. But when it comes to penalty kicks, Messi is merely average. Why? Maybe the answer involves game theory. According to game theory, there’s an optimal strategy for taking penalty kicks. This strategy involves an idea that was once somewhat controversial in economics — that is, until economists started studying soccer players in real life.  On today's show, we kick it over to the hosts of the Soccernomics podcast (https://linktr.ee/soccernomicspod) to explain how game theory has changed soccer, and how soccer has changed game theory.  Watch the penalty shootout between Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League final in 2008 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-QliFMvpqI) .  Support: Planet Money+ (https://n.pr/3HlREPz) Read:  Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD)   Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter (https://n.pr/3zrFvUB) Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter (https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator) Follow:  Instagram (https://n.pr/3FqLuws) TikTok (https://n.pr/3sGZdrq) YouTube (https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C) Facebook (https://n.pr/3h92GwS) This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from James Sneed. It was edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Annlie Huang. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. The Soccernomics episode was originally hosted by Ashish Malhotra, Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski and sound designed by Alex Roldan. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

How do residents of the South Side of Chicago feel about their new neighbor: the Obama Presidential Center? A mixture of pride and excitement, tempered with some concerns about what it could do to housing affordability. On today’s show, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at Code Switch on the new center and its relationship to the historically Black neighborhoods around it.  Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter)   — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE)   — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

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Last month, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh presided over his first interest rate decision and press conference … but he didn't talk much about maximum employment.  How much does Kevin Warsh care about the jobs side of the Fed’s dual mandate? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — Are we in a new era of permanently higher prices? (https://lnk.to/JNkM6RWE) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

During President Donald Trump’s first term, he touted the USMCA as the largest and most fair trade deal ever achieved. So why is he now talking about ‘terminating’ it? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — Are Trump’s trade deals the real deal? (http://lnk.to/W6XYhx) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

Will limiting how much students can borrow force schools to lower their prices?  The Department of Education thinks so. It has a new plan to bring down tuition costs. Starting today, July 1st, it’s going to cap how much it’s willing to loan to graduate students.  You read that right. To reduce the burden of school…the plan is to give students less money to pay for school.  This plan is, in part, based on an idea that’s been floating around higher education circles for decades: The Bennett Hypothesis, which claims there’s a direct relationship between student borrowing and tuition prices. And therefore, if the Department of Education — the biggest student loan provider in the country — limits how much students can take out, then schools will have no choice but to charge students less.  This hypothesis was floated roughly 40 years ago...without evidence. But now, as the Trump administration rolls out their Bennettian plan, we have decades of data to see how true this hypothesis is. Today on the show: NPR Education Correspondent Cory Turner explains this theory, and what the new plan influenced by it will mean for borrowers this fall. Other notes: • Bill Bennett: “Our Greedy Colleges (https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/18/opinion/our-greedy-colleges.html) ” • Cory Turner: "July 1 brings big student loan changes. Here's what you need to know (https://www.npr.org/2026/06/10/nx-s1-5835633/student-loans-guide-education-changes-repayment-plan) " • The Indicator: "What you should know about your student loans (https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5872779/what-you-should-know-about-your-student-loans) "  Support: • Planet Money+ (https://n.pr/3HlREPz) Read:  • Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD)   • Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter (https://n.pr/3zrFvUB) • Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter (https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator) Follow:  • Instagram (https://n.pr/3FqLuws) • TikTok (https://n.pr/3sGZdrq) • YouTube (https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C) • Facebook (https://n.pr/3h92GwS) This episode was hosted by Cory Turner and Kenny Malone. It was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - “Morning Chorus,” “Belle Mar,” and “The Sky Was Orange.” See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

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If war is so costly, why do we keep fighting them? We dig into the wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza to understand the incentives that lead countries into violence. Today on the show, the five factors that lead to war.  Chris Blattman’s book is Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/636263/why-we-fight-by-christopher-blattman/) . Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) .  Your Next Listen  — The new economic arms race (https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5803494/the-new-economic-arms-race) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter)   — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE)   — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/)   See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

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For many of the 43 million Americans with federal student loans, July 1 is a day to mark on the calendar (https://www.npr.org/2026/06/10/nx-s1-5835633/student-loans-guide-education-changes-repayment-plan) . Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is introducing stricter borrowing caps and new repayment plans. Today on the show, we talk with NPR’s Education Reporter Cory Turner about the impact. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — Will new loan limits lower the cost of grad sch (http://lnk.to/V38mY1) ool? (http://lnk.to/V38mY1) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

In the early 90’s, a company called General Magic began working on a portable device that would allow people to check email, make phone calls, even play games. It was basically a smartphone. But it never caught on. On today’s show, a theory about why this device failed. General Magic had generous investors, world-class talent and creative freedom. But is it possible what they needed was constraints? Further reading and viewing: David Epstein’s book is Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better (https://davidepstein.com/inside-the-box/) . Tony Fadell’s book is Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Make Things Worth Making (https://www.buildc.com/the-book) . Sarah Kerruish and Matt Maude’s documentary is called General Magic (https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/) . Support: • Planet Money+ (https://n.pr/3HlREPz) Read:  • Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD)   • Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter (https://n.pr/3zrFvUB) • Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter (https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator) Follow:  • Instagram (https://n.pr/3FqLuws) • TikTok (https://n.pr/3sGZdrq) • YouTube (https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C) • Facebook (https://n.pr/3h92GwS) This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Emma Peaslee. It was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and James Sneed. It was edited by Marianne McCune and fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore. It was engineered by Jimmy Keeley with help from Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

The Indicator’s Wailin Wong informs us how GLP-1s are affecting women in the workforce; Producer Cooper Katz McKim tells us why NYC office space is coming back; and Darian Woods explains why your boss that’s asking you to come back to the office … might be a narcissist. WHAT IS “THE INDICATOR”? A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, “The Indicator” helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy. It's a quick hit of insight into money, work, and business. Audio episodes publish Monday through Friday, and video episodes publish most Fridays. You can LISTEN to “The Indicator from Planet Money” podcast, five days a week, here: Apple - https://n.pr/4iA0Xft Spotify - https://n.pr/4azEfBU NPR App - https://n.pr/4oBKdpw 👍Like this video to see more from us 🔔Subscribe to “The Indicator” - https://www.youtube.com/@planetmoney?sub_confirmation=1 ❤️Get sponsor-free listening to Planet Money and bonus episodes - https://n.pr/3MC1QIg

Are all these AI books any good? And by good, we mean are people willing to buy them — not whether the prose is singing. We talk to two researchers who’ve got some answers (https://www.nber.org/papers/w34777) and a travel guide expert on why AI can’t replace first-hand experience. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) .  Your Next Listen   — Human certification in the age of AI slop (http://lnk.to/oq2bp5) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

In 2019, Juan Hernandez was laid off from SpaceX. Luckily, he still had the opportunity to buy $50K - $60K of the company’s stock and, years later, it’s safe to say the risk was worth it. Today on the show, how stock options built California as a tech hub. Fact-checking by Emma Ferrara.  Your Next Listen  — Do traders who make big bets make big money? (https://lnk.to/qalv4mWE) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter)   — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE)   — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/)   See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

A plan to create a new $250—with President Donald Trump’s face on it—has created a lot of pushback. Who probably won’t be pushing back, though? Criminals. On today’s show, we explain why. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — Trump crypto, Trump ballroom and Trump drones (https://lnk.to/3a4COlWE) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

It’s time for The Indicator Quiz! We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we’ve covered on The Indicator. For today's quiz show, we are putting an urban planner from Nevada to the test. Play along with us and see how you do! Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at indicator@npr.org and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject line. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez (https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez) . Your Next Listen  — A trap-loving DJ takes on economics (https://lnk.to/McNdrWWE) Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

Maybe the real monster in the Alien franchise isn’t actually the killer alien. Because behind the acid blood and jump scares is an even more insidious horror: a single employer with unchecked power. That employer is named Weyland-Yutani, a mega-corporation that dominates workers across the galaxy. Weyland-Yutani is a sort of extreme example of what economists call a monopsony — when one employer dominates a labor market and gains power to underpay and mistreat workers. Sure, it’s science fiction. But a growing number of economists argue that monopsony power is a much bigger deal in the real world than previously thought. We watch scenes from the movie Alien with labor economist Arin Dube, whose new book, The Wage Standard, shines a spotlight on the problem of monopsony power in the modern economy. We ask Arin what policy ideas he has that would have maybe prevented the worker tragedy seen in Alien. And we use his answer to try and rewrite the movie (spoiler: the movie becomes much shorter and less exciting). Plus, we speak with Fede Álvarez, the director and co-writer of Alien: Romulus, which puts Weyland-Yutani’s poor treatment of workers front row and center. For more on monopsony and anti-trust: • The labor economics of 'Alien' — and its lessons for inequality on Earth (https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2026/04/14/g-s1-117075/the-labor-economics-of-alien-and-its-lessons-for-inequality-on-earth) (PM newsletter) • The hidden power keeping wages low (https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2026/04/21/g-s1-118071/the-hidden-power-keeping-wages-low) (PM newsletter) • Antitrust In America (https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/03/20/704426033/antitrust-in-america) (PM series) • How we got free agents in baseball (https://www.npr.org/2026/05/06/nx-s1-5812912/baseball-free-agency-curt-flood) (PM episode) Support: • Planet Money+ (https://n.pr/3HlREPz) Read:  • Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD)   • Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter (https://n.pr/3zrFvUB) • Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter (https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator) Follow:  • Instagram (https://n.pr/3FqLuws) • TikTok (https://n.pr/3sGZdrq) • YouTube (https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C) • Facebook (https://n.pr/3h92GwS) Today's episode of Planet Money was hosted by Greg Rosalsky and Kenny Malone. It was produced by James Sneed, edited by Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Our executive producer is Alex Goldmark. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)

You pick up your phone to do one quick task, and suddenly 20 minutes have flown by without you even noticing. How do apps do that to you? Today on the show, we bring you an episode of Short Wave that explains how your phone is designed specifically to hold your attention. Fact checking by Tyler Jones. Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter (https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter) — Buy the Planet Money book (https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE) — Find our socials, YouTube and more (https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr) ! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ (https://plus.npr.org/) See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy (https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy)