This week, Nate and Maria discuss the asteroid that had a 3% chance of colliding with Earth. That risk is now closer to 0%—but, what does this example reveal about how to consider extremely costly events that are fairly unlikely to come to pass?

Then, they touch on the latest World Series of Poker drama and challenge each other to a game of Roshambo.

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This week, Maria speaks with trust expert Rachel Botsman about her new audiobook How To Trust and Be Trusted. What is trust? Why, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, do we sometimes trust the wrong people? And what can a luxury hotel teach us about how to repair a trust that’s been broken?

And – for Pushkin+ subscribers – Nate and Maria answer a listener question about learning to feel the difference between probabilities.

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Amid a maelstrom of executive orders and other presidential actions, Nate and Maria discuss best practices for staying focused on the important things. They also give their takes on what those important things are. And, they follow up on their Super Bowl prop bet – were there tears during the National Anthem? (They disagree – weigh in below.)

Plus, Nate updates us on his housing search, and Pushkin+ subscribers get advice about how to pick a doctor.

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Our intuitive risk assessments can be way off–we’re too scared of hijackings, and not scared enough of crossing the street. This week, Nate and Maria discuss the real risks of plane travel, and of drinking alcohol. Then, they debate whether the sharp money is on heads or tails in the Super Bowl coin toss, and make a very serious bet about whether the national anthem will move any players or coaches to tears.

Plus, Nate and Maria answer a listener question about the value of betting on underdogs for Pushkin+ subscribers.

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In the wake of DeepSeek’s explosive entrance into the AI chatbot world, Nate and Maria talk AI strategy. At the national level and the personal level, what benefits does this technology actually have – and is it worth it?

Plus, we tackle a question from listener Hugh about how to win big at his friendly, amateur poker night. Good luck, Hugh!

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What do the decisions Trump has made so far tell us about his strategy for his second term? And what strategic options do the Democrats have? Nate and Maria talk birthright citizenship, tech CEOs, memecoins, and pardons.

And, Nate and Maria answer a listener question about the status of their driver’s licenses.

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Nate and Maria discuss the California wildfires. How do incentives in insurance markets drive decisions by homeowners – and by insurers? What’s the best way to make rational decisions about the disaster risks we all face?

And they discuss a question from listener JM who asks what happens when the River and the Village mix it up in Washington?

Further Reading:

Colm Toíbin on the loss of Gary Indiana’s personal library in the Palisades fire

An overview of California’s insurance issues from the WSJ

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Nate and Maria share their predictions for the year to come, covering everything from the price of Bitcoin, to the fate of President Trump’s cabinet picks, to whether Nate will wear skinny jeans.

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Maria talks to her friend Henry Rich about how he’s managed to find success in one of the world’s riskiest industries: restaurants. Themes include learning from failure, accounting for ruin, and finding meaning at work.

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Nate and Maria talk about what Luigi Mangione can show us about the danger of black and white thinking, and how platforms like Bluesky and X create bubbles that make matters worse. Then, with the reigning world chess champion dethroned after a surprising choke, they discuss how they deal with high-stakes situations.

Risky Business will be off next week. We’ll be back with a new episode on 1/2/25. Happy New Year!

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What were the best, worst, and most interesting decisions of 2024, and what can we learn from them? Nate and Maria award the year’s most notable decisions in our first annual Riskies awards show. Also: degen of the year, nit of the year, and the cognitive bias that best explains 2024.

Then, they give a quick poker update and answer a listener’s question about the expected value of learning multiple languages.

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