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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.

Episodes by Kai (6,146)

Make Me Smart | Episode 1293

The history behind Black Friday

Nov 26, 2024
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Marketplace

The DOJ has a plan for Google

Nov 21, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1290

The new face of Trump's tariffs plan

Nov 21, 2024
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Marketplace

What happened to sweater weather?

Nov 20, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1289

A harbinger of change in Medialand 

Nov 20, 2024
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Marketplace

Private equity's appetite for restaurants

Nov 19, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1288

The myth America exported to the world

Nov 19, 2024
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Marketplace

A more equal nation?

Nov 18, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1287

Trump's revenge agenda

Nov 18, 2024
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Marketplace

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... online

Nov 15, 2024
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Latest Stories (5,837)

The steel market is hot, but it won't last forever

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Mar 16, 2021
Delaware Steel President Lisa Goldenberg talks soaring steel prices and the possibility of a Biden infrastructure bill.
"Suppliers are making steel as fast as they can," Lisa Goldenberg says. Lead times are the "longest they've been in probably 15 years."
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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“This is not Christmas,” Illinois comptroller warns of federal relief money

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 16, 2021
“That money is essentially spoken for,” Susana Mendoza says of the $7.5 billion coming to the state from the American Rescue Plan.
Federal relief money offers a chance for Illinois to pay down its debt. Above, a view of Lake Michigan from the Sears Tower Skydeck in Chicago.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Home repair demand helps grow this microbusiness during the pandemic

by Kai Ryssdal and Daisy Palacios
Mar 15, 2021
The owner of a handyman business in Las Vegas must decide whether or not to hire more employees to keep up with repair jobs.
Brad Hess is owner of Ace Handyman Services Summerlin, an individually owned and operated franchise of Ace Hardware in Las Vegas.
Courtesy of Brad Hess
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COVID-19

Craft store, rooted in hands-on learning, pivots online to survive

by Kai Ryssdal , Daisy Palacios and Minju Park
Mar 11, 2021
Amelia Freeman-Lynde wanted to show people the joys of handcraft in person. The pandemic forced her to transition to e-commerce.
Amelia Freeman-Lynde owns Freeman's Creative in Durham, North Carolina. "So much of running a small business is trying to anticipate what's coming next," she says. "And we can't do that right now."
Chika Gujarathi / Courtesy of Amelia Freeman-Lynde
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In Chung's "Minari," seeing the American dream through the eyes of a Korean-American family

by Kai Ryssdal and Minju Park
Mar 10, 2021
"And if my daughter can see it one day, that'd be great," says Lee Isaac Chung, writer-director of "Minari."
The cast of "Minari." Back row from left: Steven Yeun, Yuh-jung Youn and Yeri Han. Front row: Alan S. Kim and Noel Cho.
Photo by Josh Ethan Johnson, courtesy of A24
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The customs industry navigates port delays, tariffs and uncertainty

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Mar 8, 2021
A Pennsylvania customs broker describes how business has changed due to the pandemic and is changing again under a new president
In 2020, there was “no congestion at the port. Everything was coming in early,” says Gretchen Blough. "Now it's kind of the opposite. Everything's a week to two late."
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Seattle co-working business lost half of its revenue almost overnight

by Kai Ryssdal , Daisy Palacios and Minju Park
Mar 8, 2021
“Almost overnight, we essentially almost had to shut our business down,” said Audrey Hoyt, owner of The Pioneer Collective.
Audrey and Chris Hoyt, the husband and wife team behind The Pioneer Collective.
Courtesy of Audrey Hoyt
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U.S. productivity plummeted in Q4, and reopening the economy might be why

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Mar 4, 2021
The measure fell at the steepest rate in 40 years, but that might not be as ominous as it sounds — if the trend is short term.
Less productive businesses like restaurants have started to reopen, which may be causing national productivity data to decline.
Scott Heins/Getty Images
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United States of Work

Why this unemployed bartender feels “betrayed” by the nation's safety net

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 4, 2021
Neil Cairns of Portland, Oregon, is finding that returning to work is a tough job.
"I'm casting my net as wide as I can," says former bartender Neil Cairns about his search for work.
Thomas Patterson
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Microbusinesses and the pandemic

Helping students of color thrive via entrepreneurship and self-care

by Kai Ryssdal and Daisy Palacios
Mar 4, 2021
Monika Mathews started QueenCare to provide mentorship and economic opportunity to young people in her Seattle community.
Monika Mathews owns QueenCare in Seattle and founded the Life Enrichment Group. "This is not about me, this is about we," she says.
Courtesy of Monika Mathews
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