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‘Tis the season — wait, that’s not the real thing!
Dec 10, 2024

‘Tis the season — wait, that’s not the real thing!

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Will all ads be AI-generated one day? Plus, long-term unemployment rises, and a homeowner becomes an Airbnber to afford a property tax hike.

Segments From this episode

What unit labor costs can tell us about where inflation is headed

Dec 10, 2024
Unit labor costs are a way to measure productivity relative to workers' compensation.
If compensation is rising way faster than workers’ hourly output, that's a signal more inflation is to come.
Travis Dove/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Does Coca-Cola's AI ad herald a new era?

Dec 10, 2024
The holiday-themed spot shows the promise, and limitations, of handing over creative tasks to a machine.
A still image from an AI-generated ad for Coca-Cola. It's not the real thing, and people are noticing.

Lost Doge: A crypto millionaire finds his way back after Trump victory, but might pay dearly

Dec 10, 2024
Glauber Contessoto might be the biggest Dogecoin evangelist not named Elon Musk. He's got one big worry now.
Glauber Contessoto (left) poses at the premiere of a film about Dogecoin at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

"Damaged goods": Being unemployed for months takes a toll.

Dec 10, 2024
The ranks of the long-term unemployed have swelled to 1.7 million. The psychological effects add to the economic pain.
Being unemployed for an extended period can be "stigmatizing" for job hunters, said Julia Pollak of ZipRecruiter.
Ridvan Celik/Getty Images

A new idea for EV charging — at streetlights

Dec 10, 2024
A company called Voltpost is set to retrofit 100 lampposts into level two chargers in 2025.
Most lampposts only have the capacity to accommodate a level two EV charger that gives vehicles a few dozen miles of range in an hour.
Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Amid rising property taxes, this homeowner turned to Airbnb

Dec 10, 2024
Charlotte Kreutz listed a private room in her home on Airbnb. Almost immediately, she started getting bookings.
"Without the Airbnb covering our property taxes, we would probably have to move," said  Charlotte Kreutz, a homeowner in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Courtesy Kreutz

Music from the episode

"In Moe" DJ Premier
"Inside Out" Spoon
"It Is What It Is" Blood Orange
"Palm Trees" Loop Schrauber
"Memory" Tom Misch

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer
Maria Hollenhorst Producer II
Andie Corban Producer I
Sarah Leeson Producer I
Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II
Sofia Terenzio Associate Producer I
Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer
Nicholas Guiang Assistant Producer