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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)

Black executives say corporations "must take a stand" against restrictive voting laws

Apr 2, 2021
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal spoke with Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck, and Kenneth Chenault, former CEO of American Express.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

The highs and lows of making in-demand pandemic products

Apr 1, 2021
Clear plastic barriers to protect workers are everywhere now. What does that mean for companies that make them?
In 2020, California Acrylic Design made custom plastic barriers for schools, government agencies and a wide range of businesses.
Courtesy of California Acrylic Design

How COVID-19 made high-frequency data a go-to economic indicator

Mar 31, 2021
More than ever, economists are turning to alternative forms of data to help them understand the economy in real time.
Geolocation data collected from mobile devices has become a useful pandemic indicator for the CDC, the Federal Reserve and Wall Street analysts.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Why this small business said goodbye to the office for good

Mar 31, 2021
“We’re gonna save about $60,000 a year,” said Carolyn Walker, CEO and managing partner of Response Marketing in Connecticut.
The pandemic shrunk Response Marketing's revenue and forced the firm to go virtual. “I feel like if I made it through this, we can make it through anything,” says CEO Carolyn Walker.
Courtesy of Response

At this Detroit framing shop, demand is outstripping supply

Mar 25, 2021
For Eric Vaughn, picture frame demand is up as customers spend more time at home. But can supply keep pace?
"Since we've been back open, it's been pretty busy," said Eric Vaughn. "We've had to kind of change the way we do business, simply because we have people on top of each other."
Courtesy Eric Vaughn

The Suez Canal block could hit 'downstream' manufacturers the hardest

Mar 24, 2021
A container ship blocking the Suez Canal since Tuesday evening underscores the fragility of the global supply chain.
Cargo ships seen in the Suez Canal in 2019.
Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images

Tweets are selling for millions as NFTs. We decided to see what all the buzz is about.

Mar 24, 2021
Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal and Andrew CM from Valuables by Cent experiment with turning a tweet into a non-fungible token.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019.
David Becker/Getty Images

Washington apple farmer is "optimistic" as workers get vaccinated

“They are on the front lines of the food production industry in this country," said Patrick Smith, who runs Loftus Ranches.
"I’m really hopeful that when we get to our harvest season, globally, things are really looking up," says Patrick Smith, whose family runs Loftus Ranches, an apple and hops farm in Yakima, Washington.
Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images

The pandemic has been especially damaging to working moms

Employment for women may not recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 — two years after a recovery for men.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

For small-business owners, “it’s just never-ending”

Mar 17, 2021
An independent hairstylist reflects on her newfound respect for small-business ownership after a year on her own.
Hairstylist Ashley Nelson’s private suite in downtown Boise, Idaho. She's looking to grow and bring people with her.
Courtesy of Ashley Nelson