SHORT BIO
Kai is the host and senior editor of “Marketplace,” the most widely heard program on business and the economy — radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting — in the country. Kai speaks regularly with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, startup entrepreneurs, small-business owners and everyday participants in the American and global economies. Before his career in broadcasting, Kai served in the United States Navy and United States Foreign Service. He’s a graduate of Emory University and Georgetown University. Kai lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.
Latest Stories (5,837)
A decade after its debt crisis, Greece's economy may have recovered
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Sean McHenry
Oct 5, 2023
"In the last several years, there's been sort of an acceleration of an economic turnaround," said Liz Alderman at the New York Times. "We're basically at a point now where Greece is essentially booming."
Wave forecasting site Surfline has changed how people surf
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Sean McHenry
Oct 4, 2023
Surfline follows conditions at hundreds of beaches all over the world, but some surfers don’t think it’s so swell.
Will high yields on the 10-year T-note jeopardize the "soft landing"?
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Sean McHenry
Oct 4, 2023
The yield hit a 16-year record Tuesday. Could that mean trouble for the Federal Reserve's effort to cool inflation and prevent a recession?
There's a corner of the internet where YouTubers read strangers' obituaries. Why?
by
Kai Ryssdal
, Andie Corban
and Sarah Leeson
Oct 3, 2023
"It's quite a tasteless pursuit, but it seems as though it's a pursuit driven by desperation, like they are casting around looking for ways to make money online," WIRED reporter Kate Knibbs said of the YouTube obituary pirates.
Ticket scalpers are way better at buying Olivia Rodrigo tickets than the rest of us
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Sean McHenry
Sep 29, 2023
Ticketmaster's Verified Fan system was meant to reduce scalping. But Jason Koebler at 404 Media says it may have done just the opposite.
The monumental task of measuring the GDP over and over again
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Maria Hollenhorst
Sep 28, 2023
The keepers of GDP continually update their calculations as more information becomes available.
Most millennials are homeowners now
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Sofia Terenzio
Sep 28, 2023
Millennials have faced challenges to homeownership for years. Now, a slim majority of millennials own a home.
Why does furniture fall apart so easily?
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Richard Cunningham
Sep 27, 2023
Furniture used to last a lifetime. Now, not so much. But how did we get here?
Twenty years on, pumpkin spice still has a hold on autumn (and America)
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Sarah Leeson
Sep 26, 2023
"It's just sort of become part of the fabric of our lives. It's now vanilla and chocolate and peppermint... and pumpkin spice," says food writer Emily Heil.
Climate change means more extremes for Washington hops farmer
by
Kai Ryssdal
and Richard Cunningham
Sep 25, 2023
After a cold spring and unseasonably hot and dry summer, Patrick Smith of Yakima is seeing some abnormalities in when his crops mature.