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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 (5,836)

Chicago Fed president explains “the hardest thing that a central bank has to do”

Oct 10, 2024
Austan Goolsbee talks about the Fed's timing in moments of transition, if COVID is still affecting the economy, and why he's a "data dog."
"I'm in the data dogs. And the thing about the data dogs [is that they] don't respond to one month," says Austan Goolsbee about the importance of taking the long view before making decisions.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Musician Dessa on balancing the needs of body, art and business

Oct 8, 2024
The singer, songwriter and author discusses creativity and the "double bottom line" that rewards artists but makes them vulnerable.
Dessa in performance. "There is a constant tension that becomes more pronounced the longer you stay in the game," she said. "Like, what’s good for the art versus what’s good for the artist."
Al Pereira/Getty Images

The CIA runs a nonprofit venture capital firm. What's it investing in?

Oct 7, 2024
Agency's taxpayer-funded investment arm seeks tech that could boost national security. It's made some smart bets, says Jon Keegan of Sherwood.
In 1999, the CIA created a venture capital firm to invest in technologies that could be used in national security programs.
Charles Ommanney/Getty Images

The U.S. military and Coca-Cola go way back

Oct 3, 2024
Archaeologists have uncovered World War II-era human remains and caches of Coca-Cola bottles at a U.S. military base on the Marshall Islands.
Senior archeologist Susan Underbrink shows "Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal her collection of Coca-Cola bottles uncovered around Kwajalein.
Hayley Hershman/Marketplace

How the relationship between government and economy has changed since "The Great Society"

Oct 2, 2024
Decades after the promise of "The Great Society" for Americans, President Biden is once again changing the relationship between the economy and the government.
Many modern government programs have roots to "The Great Society."
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Taller, slicker data centers could be the future

Oct 1, 2024
Data centers are getting taller and slicker as they move closer to urban and suburban areas.
A construction crew works on a CloudHQ data center in Ashburn, Virginia.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images

The U.S. military looks at electrifying the sky

One example is Joby Aviation’s electric “air taxi.”
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal sits in a flight simulator for an electric aircraft made by Joby Aviation.
Sophia Paliza-Carre/Marketplace

Why are there no female drivers in Formula One racing?

Sep 26, 2024
The high cost of participation and an institutional lack of investment in women are largely to blame, says The Washington Post's Glynn Hill.
Amna Al Qubaisi of the United Arab Emirates prepares to drive during an F1 Academy race in Singapore on Sunday. Formula One is trying to support women in the sport.
Joe Portlock/Getty Images

Looming port strike could slam a fragile system, says customs broker

Sep 25, 2024
Dockworkers may act as soon as Tuesday, potentially disrupting the supply chain and costing the economy $5 billion daily.
Dockworkers may go on strike at East and Gulf coast ports starting next week.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

What to expect when you’re expecting a Fed framework review

Sep 24, 2024
A lot has happened in monetary policy since the last time the Federal Reserve updated its long-term strategy goals.
After a busy few years in monetary policy, it’s once again time for the Federal Reserve to conduct a review of its long-term strategy.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images