Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter—er, sorry “X”—has been slowly deflating. But given that soon you’ll be getting yelled at by right-wing trolls directly from White House press briefings, and your data is being swept up to train A.I., is there any reason to stay on the site at all anymore? 

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, Slate business writer.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Alyssa Jeong Perry.

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This week: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have a lot of “plans” for the D.O.G.E. Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and Anna Szymanski discuss the suspect promises of the Trump-appointed heads of the Department of Government Efficiency. Then, Bitcoin is at a record high right now, though the value of crypto remains uncertain. Also, AI clones are being used to apply to jobs and even find us dates, but are they doing it well?

In the Slate Plus episode: New York City has passed a bill preventing landlords from charging tenants for broker’s fees. Finally!

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 Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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Going on Joe Rogan’s podcast didn’t fit into Kamala Harris’s last month of campaigning, which consisted of a careful diet of traditional media and specifically selected appearances. It came up short against Donald Trump’s “get on mic with that guy and his big following” strategy. 

Guest: Makena Kelly, senior writer at Wired.

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In this Money Talks: how did Victoria’s Secret go from hot to not? Emily Peck is joined by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez, authors of Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon to discuss the origins of the ubiquitous bra retailer, its role in the rise of fast fashion, and how the brand successfully reflected the culture–until it suddenly didn’t. 

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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Many folks were surprised at how soundly Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the election, especially since they thought the polls made it seem like a coin flip. The problem is, that’s not quite what the polls were saying.

Guest: Tatishe M. Nteta, Provost Professor of Political Science, Director of UMass Poll

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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This week: The markets had a big reaction to Trump’s win. Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and Anna Szymanski discuss what traders are actually betting on and how a Trump economy will affect consumers. Then, Anna breaks down the collapse of Germany’s government and what it means for Europe’s economy. Also: Reddit stock is doing great. But why is it still so popular? The hosts discuss the refreshing relatability and searchability that has kept the platform on top.

In the Plus episode: After a week of anxiety, doomscrolling, and disappointment, the hosts discuss what they’re doing to distract themselves from the news.

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 Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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As Elon Musk channeled his considerable resources towards Donald Trump’s campaign, there was talk about what his role in the new Trump administration would be. If his stint leading Twitter is any indication, the federal government could be in for a bumpy ride.

Guest: Zoë Schiffer, incoming director of business and industry at Wired, author of Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk’s Twitter.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, Cheyna Roth and Alyssa Jeong Perry.

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Voters in swing states are being subjected to constant political messages—on billboards, commercials and, increasingly, via text messages. But are dozens of “make a plan to vote” texts you’re receiving going to make a difference?

Guest: Jacob Neiheisel, political science professor at the University at Buffalo 

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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This week: Readers aren’t buying Jeff Bezos’ claim that killing the Washington Posts’ presidential endorsement wasn’t from his own business interests. Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and Anna Szymanski weigh in on how the move may or may not help Bezos and what the WaPo boycott can actually accomplish. Also: How would a trump victory affect the economy? Badly, economists say. Finally: Facebook laid off two dozen workers for abusing their free GrubHub vouchers as companies crack down on perk abuse.

In the Plus segment: The New York Times took a sympathetic look at the parents of Sam Bankman-Fried and other jailed FTX execs. Our hosts found it to be pandering to the anxieties of the paper’s white, suburban readers. How much sympathy do the parents of 30-something corporate crooks really deserve? 

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 Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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How did Elon Musk go from a poster to someone pumping millions of dollars towards Donald Trump? And what’s he hoping to get for doing so?

Guest: Max Chafkin, Bloomberg Businessweek columnist. 

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In this Money Talks: the man who would bet billions on a coin toss. Host Felix Salmon chats with Lionel Barber, whose new book Gambling Man: The Secret Story of the World’s Greatest Disruptor, Masayoshi Son reveals how the man who backed Alibaba became the world’s biggest maverick investor, throwing fortunes at enterprises that could either succeed spectacularly or go down in flames.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Want 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 Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

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