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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 (5,837)

With modern chatbots, AI weirdness reaches new heights

Mar 23, 2023
Artificial intelligence researcher and blogger Janelle Shane explains modern chatbot behavior.
AI researcher and blogger Janelle Shane tried to convince ChatGPT to impersonate a squirrel. The results revealed some bugs in AI chatbots.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

EVs are far from standardized. For mechanics, that's an issue.

Mar 23, 2023
When your EV is no longer under warranty, who fixes it?
EVs are getting more and more commonplace on the road, so they'll also be more and more common at your local garage.
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

Trying to explain the bank runs? The "takeconomy" might deserve some of the blame.

Mar 21, 2023
Many factors led to Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, but content creator Kyla Scanlon says "social media risk" accelerated the slide.
Credit Suisse Chair Axel Lehmann blamed his bank's failure partly on a "social media storm." Content creator Kyla Scanlon highlights the role of social media in the instability that has jolted global finance.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Why Nestle lost $2.1 billion on this peanut allergy cure

Mar 21, 2023
The Swiss grocery giant bought the maker of Palforzia as part of an effort to take Nestle into the profitable health and wellness space.
Nestle CEO Mark Schneider bought the maker of Palforzia, a peanut allergy cure, as part of a pivot toward the intersection of nutrition and pharmaceuticals.
Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images

All eyes are on the Federal Reserve's next move in this "wobbly" economic moment

Mar 20, 2023
The inflation threat calls for one type of action, and the banking turmoil calls for another. How will the Fed respond?
Chairman Jerome Powell and other policymakers at the central bank will reveal their interest rate decision Wednesday. The Fed is also taking steps to stabilize the condition of regional banks and protect depositors.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Silicon Valley Bank's collapse reveals deeper flaws in the venture capital industry

Mar 16, 2023
VCs have been among the loudest voices calling for government insurance amidst SVB’s collapse, after pulling their funds out of the struggling bank.
Prominent venture capitalists were quick to call for government insurance of all Silicon Valley Bank's deposits after its collapse Friday.
Michael Cohen/Getty Images

Peers not lining up to buy Silicon Valley Bank's problems. Neither are the giants.

Mar 15, 2023
SVB has a "$15 billion hole," says Semafor’s Liz Hoffman. Banks big enough to take on the challenge were initially not invited to bid.
"I don't think there's a lot of appetite for big-bank CEOs" to acquire the failed SVB, Semafor's Liz Hoffman says.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

College stars' name and image deals vs. the health of athletic departments

Mar 15, 2023
The channeling of NIL cash to athletes poses a risk to athletic department funding. Author Bruce Schoenfeld explains.
As March Madness rolls around, author Bruce Schoenfeld discusses how NIL deals are affecting funding for college athletic departments.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

How hides, tallow and rosin can help us understand where the economy is headed

Mar 14, 2023
An explanation of the CRB raw industrials spot price index, a “predictor” of macroeconomic trends.
Tannery students process the washed rawhide of a cow. Today, animal hides are used in the production of some food products, like wine.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Former Fed official who oversaw reforms sees "deep irony" after bank collapse

"We've just seen an uptick in moral hazard," Daniel Tarullo says of the U.S. government covering uninsured deposits.
"One of those pillars of Dodd-Frank — which is to let banks fail and people will have the right incentives — we just can't rely on that," said former Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo, seen above in 2014.
Win McNamee/Getty Images