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 (5,827)

Transforming the post-incarceration experience

Jan 3, 2024
Sociologist Reuben Jonathan Miller discusses the “moral worlds” of people who’ve been convicted of violent crimes
A sign pleading for help hangs in a window at the Cook County jail complex on April 09, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Feeding America CEO urges "using your voices" in fight against hunger

Dec 21, 2023
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot discusses food inflation, food insecurity and efforts to influence government policymakers.
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot points out that with higher costs at the supermarket, food banks are receiving fewer food donations.
RyanJLane/Getty Images

Box office mystery: Barbenheimer boomed, while "The Marvels" flopped.

Dec 18, 2023
When going to the movies feels like a special event, fans show up, says author Joanna Robinson.
Moviegoers are looking for an experience beyond sitting quietly in a dark theater, says author Joanna Robinson.
LeoPatrizi/Getty Images

Atlanta Fed president: "This economy has even exceeded my expectations of resilience"

Dec 15, 2023
"Wage growth now is greater than inflation," Bostic says. "But I don't think people feel like they've caught up all the way and that's just going to take some time."
In the fight to bring down inflation, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic emphasizes being  "patient, cautious and resolute."
Courtesy Atlanta Federal Reserve

The big business of gift guides

Dec 15, 2023
Author Jessica Roy explains why it seems like everyone is releasing a gift guide this year.
Gift guides help legacy media outlets generate revenue amid declining ad sales and subscriptions.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

How one California startup hopes to make EV infrastructure more reliable

Dec 13, 2023
ChargerHelp is seeking to train a network of field technicians that can keep EV chargers online.
Evette Ellis and Kameale C. Terry, co-founders of ChargerHelp, one of many startups poised to benefit from federal investment in America’s charging network.
Stephen McGee/Michigan Central

The fix for crummy cell reception? Probably more cell towers.

Dec 12, 2023
Networks are clogged, and we need to build more towers, says Alana Semuels of Time magazine. But we don’t want the towers, just the service.
Time magazine's Alana Semuels says the only solution is to build more cell towers. "And that's not even really a solution because nobody wants a cellphone tower in their backyard."
George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

When Amazon comes to town, rural post offices struggle to keep up with deliveries

Dec 11, 2023
When thousands of Amazon packages arrived overnight, it wreaked havoc on a post office in Bemidji, Minnesota.
Last year, the USPS lost $6.5 billion. Delivering for Amazon is a way the agency offsets its costs.
Daria Nipot/Getty Images

After the podcast industry boom and bust, what's next?

Dec 6, 2023
"All of these companies, new and old, public radio and private, threw a bunch of money into podcast departments. And I think they quickly learned that the economics of this high-quality journalism is complicated," said Micah Loewinger of "On the Media."
Barriers to entry are low in the podcasting world, but turning a profit is a different story.
Jason Davis/Getty Images

Regional theater is the "engine" behind much of arts and entertainment. It's also in crisis.

Dec 5, 2023
A California theater head discusses the difficult economics of the industry. "This is our moment to rethink what we're doing," he says.
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal at the Pasadena Playhouse with Danny Feldman, the venue's producing artistic director.
Sean McHenry/Marketplace