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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)

What can the dot-com bubble teach us about the future of AI?

by Matt Levin
Apr 18, 2024
In the 1990s, Wall Street was very enthusiastic about the internet — and lost a ton of money because of that enthusiasm.
The burgeoning field of artificial intelligence is often compared to the birth of the internet in the 1990s, when many tech companies did too much too quickly and collapsed.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Gaming furniture levels up to a more decorative aesthetic

by Matt Levin
Apr 18, 2024
Ikea is launching a new line of gaming furniture more suited for the living room than the basement. It's a sign of how gamer demographics are maturing.
Back in the day, furniture designed for gamers may have looked more like fighter pilot seats than something you'd find in a living room. Increasingly, that's changing.
Courtesy Ikea
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What's working — and not working — in casual dining these days

by Matt Levin
Apr 17, 2024
Americans see steak — in the right setting — as an affordable indulgence. But fewer diners are enjoying it with an alcoholic drink.
While TGI Friday's recently closed 36 U.S. stores, casual dining chain Texas Roadhouse is thriving.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Image
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RealPage rent-fixing lawsuit highlights use of algorithms to set rents

by Matt Levin
Apr 16, 2024
Lawsuits allege that RealPage, a company many large landlords use to price their apartments, uses confidential data in an anti-competitive way.
"The lack of transparency encourages rents to spiral upwards," said Shanti Singh of the advocacy group Tenants Together.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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How landlords and tenants are reacting to a changing rental market

by Matt Levin
Apr 9, 2024
The market is seeing a return of concessions and incentives for renters as demand cools in many parts of the nation.
Nationally, about 1 in 3 rental listings on Zillow offer concessions, like a month of free rent or parking.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Why are media mergers so tough to pull off?

by Matt Levin
Apr 8, 2024
Corporate marriages are hard. And corporate marriages in the always-in-flux media business can be even harder.
A successful marriage of entertainment companies in the internet age is difficult — but not impossible.
Phil Walter/Getty Images
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Gmail was launched 20 April Fools' Days ago. The joke's been on its rivals.

by Matt Levin
Apr 1, 2024
For better or worse, the email service has become a personal archive for many millions of users.
Google Workspace, which includes Gmail, has 3 billion users.
S3studio/Getty Images
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New Tennessee law aims to protect musicians from generative AI

by Matt Levin
Mar 28, 2024
Tennessee, home to the capital of country music, became the first state to target the unauthorized use of AI to replicate musicians’ voices.
Country music artist Luke Bryan speaks during the signing of Tennessee's ELVIS Act in Nashville on March 21.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Human Artistry Campaign
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How a weak Japanese yen affects the U.S. economy

by Matt Levin
Mar 27, 2024
Japanese autos have not dropped in price and U.S. exports now become more expensive.
Until recently, Japan’s central bank has kept interest rates low to spur growth.
Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images
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Should the U.S. raise the retirement age?

by Matt Levin
Mar 26, 2024
Larry Fink, head of the largest money manager in the world, suggested in an investor letter that the retirement age should be higher because of longer life expectancies. But is that realistic?
Larry Fink, the head of BlackRock — the largest money lender in the world — suggested in an investor letter Monday that we should maybe consider pushing up the retirement age.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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