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Matt Levin

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Matt covers AI for Marketplace, where he tries to be as polite as he can to every chatbot he meets … because, well, he’s seen sci-fi movies. Matt also covers some crypto and housing, with a taste for stories that make you say: "huh, that's kinda weird.”

Before joining Marketplace Matt was a data and housing reporter for CalMatters, focused on California politics and policy. Before that he was a statistics jockey for a think tank, focused on poverty and inequality. And long before that Matt was a really terrible teenage cashier for Toys R Us.

Matt’s previous honors include awards from the Online News Association and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and SPJ awards.

Latest Stories (339)

With consumers in a better mood, is the "vibecession" turning a corner?

by Matt Levin
Sep 2, 2024
For the first time in five months, consumer sentiment rose in August, thanks largely to high-income people, University of Michigan data shows.
Consumer sentiment improved last month, driven largely by higher-earning Americans who can comfortably absorb price increases, said Joanne Hsu at the University of Michigan.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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What incentive does Oasis have to get back together now?

by Matt Levin
Aug 28, 2024
Oasis, and concert promoters, know that those Gen X and millennial fans have real money now.
Today is gonna be the day that they [Oasis] are gonna throw it back to you [Gen Xers and millennials looking for a reunion tour].
Paul Elis/AFP via Getty Images
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Mortgage rates appear poised to decline — but homebuyers aren't rushing in

by Matt Levin
Aug 23, 2024
Real estate agents say buyers are showing patience, possibly hoping for a longer-term rate-cut scenario.
While homebuyers often can match the timing of their purchase to market conditions, some homeowners are forced to sell by changes in their lives.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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More corporations are disclosing the risk AI might pose to their businesses

by Matt Levin
Aug 22, 2024
What those risks are, and which companies are worried, go beyond the usual suspects.
Many companies don't see AI as a competitor but do acknowledge a security risk to using AI in their work.
Getty Images
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Here's why the debate over open source AI matters for us humans

by Matt Levin
Aug 20, 2024
Meta has staked its entire AI strategy upon the open source route, allowing pretty much anyone access to its powerful large language models. Meanwhile, Google and OpenAI are keeping everything walled off.
Meta is planning to spend tens of billions on developing its AI — only to make it open source.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
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How the snack industry is responding to Ozempic

by Matt Levin
Aug 13, 2024
Food and beverage developers are working overtime on new products that appeal to the changing tastes of obesity drug users.
People taking appetite-suppressing treatments like Ozempic are more likely to eat small servings of high-protein foods rather than large portions of salty snacks and baked goods.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Theme park attendance hits a dip

by Matt Levin
Aug 9, 2024
Attendance at parks like Disney and Universal is slowing after a surge, and as consumers get more cautious with spending.
Mariah Wild/Disney Parks via Getty Images
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More trouble for real estate loans, but not the kind you think

by Matt Levin
Aug 8, 2024
High interest rates, lower than expected rents, and an oversupply of new apartments are squeezing landlords, especially those located in Sunbelt states.
Apartments are stealing office buildings' thunder when it comes to economic distress.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
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Interest rate moves aren't the only tool in the Federal Reserve's kit

by Matt Levin
Jul 31, 2024
The Fed is slowing the pace of shrinking its bond holdings, aka quantitative tightening, perhaps before easing its interest rate stance.
The Fed adds to and reduces its holdings of debt securities to influence the economy, along with managing interest rates. Above, Fed chief Jerome Powell.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Apartment vacancies up across Sun Belt after building spree

by Matt Levin
Jul 24, 2024
The pandemic exodus from coastal areas to cities like Austin and Atlanta has cooled off, and rental supply is outstripping demand.
Cities like Austin, Texas, saw a surge of new residents early in the pandemic. Now the scales have tipped the other way, and rental supply is greater than demand.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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