Episode notes
This week: Everyone is talking about A.I. safety as OpenAI shares more alarming security breaches. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck examine the complicated reality of trying to slow down the A.I. frontier. Then, the hosts discuss Fed chair Kevin Warsh’s unexpected vote to raise rates—in defiance of Donald Trump. And finally, with the SEC opening the door to tokenized equities, they explain what it means for stocks to be traded like crypto—and why AMC is beefing with Robinhood over it. In the Slate Plus episode: Toilets, Toilets Everywhere Mentioned in this episode: “ Inside…
Slate Money
by Slate Podcasts · English · Business
A weekly roundup of the most important stories from the worlds of business and finance, hosted by Felix Salmon.Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple…
More from Slate Money
-
3 Oct 2026 · 47 min
The Personal Finance-sode
Adam Auriemma , author of the Bloomberg Money newsletter, brings his personal finance expertise to the show. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck pick Adam’s brain about how we should think about budgeting, his thoughts on renting and buying in the current housing market, and his take on financial advisors and planners. In the Slate Plus episode: Annuities Are So Hot Right Now Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe…
-
29 Sep 2026 · 31 min
Money Talks: Chasing Ambulances on Wall Street
In this Money Talks: Emily Peck interviews reporter Ellen Gabler about her New York Times investigation into how Wall Street investors are making money on personal-injury lawsuits that drag on for years—with unsettling consequences for plaintiffs. Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See…
-
26 Sep 2026 · 59 min
Fabulous, Beautiful Debt
This week: The bond market continues to churn with yields spiking globally. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck are joined by Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth , whose new book, A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World , feels particularly relevant right now. Robin recounts the research he did for the book and explains why the history of bonds is more interesting than you might think. They also discuss the state of theTreasury market now and, naturally, what makes debt beautiful . In the Slate Plus episode: The $60 Loaf of Bread Want to…
-
15 Sep 2026 · 34 min
Money Talks: The Zero-sum Mistake
In this Money Talks: Roy Swan joins Elizabeth Spiers to turn the assumption of a zero-sum economy on its head. Swan, the director of the Ford Foundation’s mission investments program, explains why the idea that someone has to lose in order for you to win is not just costing societally, but economically—and how positive impact and positive returns aren’t mutually exclusive. Swan’s new book is Positive Sum: How Zero-sum Thinking Broke Capitalism—and How We Can Fix It . Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate…
-
12 Sep 2026 · 50 min
The Private Equity Confidence Game
This week: The new book Money to Burn goes deep on private-equity behemoth Apollo Global Management and its billionaire cofounder and former CEO, Leon Black. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck are joined by author William D. Cohan to talk about his reporting on Black’s investment empire and what it means for Wall Street to be dominated by private equity. They also get into Black’s tragic origin story, messy personal scandals, and strange friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. In the Slate Plus episode: Your $5K Check’s in the Mail Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate…
-
5 Sep 2026 · 46 min
The $12.93 Billion Emoji Joke
This week: Nvidia joined Silicon Valley’s A.I. investment frenzy and bought Hugging Face for $12.93 billion. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck discuss what this deal signals about the astounding amounts of money being thrown around the relatively niche market of A.I. investment. Then, bond yields are on the rise and the hosts discuss why global concern is rising with them. And finally, what do George Santos and Steve Ballmer have in common? Felix will explain. In the Slate Plus episode: The $500 A.I.-powered Mouth Camera Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money?…
-
1 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Money Talks: The Dinosaur Economy
One-hundred-million-year-old bones are so hot right now. In this Money Talks , Felix Salmon is joined by Salomon Aaron, director of an antiquities gallery specializing in fossils, to explain everything you ever wanted to know about dealing in dinosaurs and why the market has exploded in recent years. Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast…
-
29 Aug 2026 · 42 min
Canadian Beef
This week: Meta settles with the U.S. states suing the company over teen safety concerns. Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Scarlet Fu of the new Bloomberg Money (while Felix is stuck on a tarmac somewhere in Canada) to discuss if Meta’s $17 billion settlement is as big of a deal as it sounds, and what this outcome really means for the social media guardrails overall. Then, they turn to the disastrous trade talks between the U.S. and Canada and how President Trump’s tactics have managed to piss off our friendliest ally. And finally, they’ll discuss why Treasury Secretary Scott…
-
22 Aug 2026 · 54 min
P(doom) and Other AI Questions
This week: the Slate Money hosts ask all their burning A.I. questions to someone who can actually answer them. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck sit down with A.I. expert Noah Brier and pick his brain about the reality of all our A.I. fears, the arms race with China, and how businesses are using it now. In the Slate Plus episode: What’s Up With Robots? Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate…
-
18 Aug 2026 · 26 min
Money Talks: Do Childcare Subsidies Pay Off?
In this Money Talks: Martha Gimble , the Executive Director of the Budget Lab at Yale, joins Elizabeth Spiers to explain their recent report on early childhood education and care policies and how federal subsidies could realistically work to make these things affordable. Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.…
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
