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Kai Ryssdal

Host and Senior Editor

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)

In Beijing, Yellen aims to get U.S.-China relations back on an even keel

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen intends to steady U.S.-China relations while looking out for American companies.
Yellen is looking to steady the U.S.'s economic relationship with China while keeping American business interests front of mind.
Nancy Farghalli/Marketplace

"American companies are going to have to work harder": How today's affirmative action ruling puts U.S. companies at a disadvantage

Jun 29, 2023
Peter Blair Henry, Dean Emeritus of NYU's business school, explains how today's ruling will affect corporate performance.
Supporters of affirmative action protest near the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Barbie's Dreamhouse paints a picture of America's housing history

Jun 29, 2023
From the bachelorette pad of the 1960s to today's pink mansion, the Dreamhouse's evolution shows the politics and trends of American life.
For more than 60 years, Barbie Dreamhouses have reflected style trends and aspirational homeownership.
Bethany Clarke/Getty Images

The robot delivering your meal might have a human driver

Jun 27, 2023
Food delivery robots are popping up across America with varying levels of autonomy. A company called Coco employs remote pilots.
Chef Rita Huda looks out from her restaurant, Rita’s Gate of India, in Santa Monica, California. Remotely piloted robots deliver some of its orders.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

Local governments are employing gig workers and offering better benefits

Jun 26, 2023
Cities are among the biggest buyers of flexible labor, and they're improving terms for gig work, says Xavier de Souza Briggs of Brookings.
Gig workers, like those who drive for ride-hailing companies, may soon have more jobs in local government.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

U.S. money supply is shrinking. Does that mean we’re all doomed?

Jun 13, 2023
Movements in money supply matter, but not as much as they used to.
The U.S. money supply is falling for the first time in the modern era.
Naser Jafari/Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images

An attractive landscape for “cowboy art” business

Jun 13, 2023
A century ago, the railroad industry helped create an American art movement. But who’s profiting today?
"Cowboys Roping the Bear," by Frank Tenney Johnson, sold for $921,000 in 2012. More than a century ago, railroads invested in art as part of their interest in transporting people westward.

Social Security has funding problems. How do we fix it before benefits are cut?

Jun 12, 2023
The trust fund supplementing income taxes could run dry within 10 years. Dennis Jansen of Texas A&M suggests reforms.
About 67 million Americans receive Social Security income.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Scaling EVs means skipping "half steps" with hybrids, GM's Mary Barra says

Jun 8, 2023
The automaker's CEO says it won't invest in hybrids, but instead focus on batteries, a new vehicle platform and charging infrastructure.
CEO Mary Barra says GM is focused on the problem of too few charging stations for EVs. "We know it'll be a gating factor if it's not sufficient," she says. Above, she speaks with host Kai Ryssdal at GM's Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan.
Nancy Farghalli/Marketplace

The search for the perfect "dupe" might be more valuable than the dupe itself

Jun 7, 2023
"It's gotten to the point where the logic of dupes has been sort of flipped on its head," said Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz. "And people are spending more time and in some cases, more money dupe-hunting than they would if they just bought the original."
Above, counterfeit Prada bags. "[Dupes] also include counterfeits and knockoffs," said Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz. "It's sort of a Gen Z-destigmatized rebranding of fakes, but fake goods definitely fall under the dupe umbrella."
Phillipe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images