Latest Interviews
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Clear all filters- The Economist28 min
Of peanuts and principles: Jimmy Carter dies
Jimmy Carter, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, John Prudhoe, Tom Standage, Tim Cross
This episode analyzes the complex legacy of Jimmy Carter by contrasting his troubled presidency with his transformative post-White House humanitarian work, while forecasting a volatile 2025 shaped by Donald Trump's potential return and disruptive forces like solar storms and AI adoption. The discussion further dissects Elon Musk's ideologically driven leadership through recommendations of science fiction and biographies that reveal his fixation on existential threats and multi-planetary colonization. Collectively, these segments offer a multidimensional view of historical reflection, future geopolitical unpredictability, and the personal philosophies driving modern technological power.
- The Economist20 min
The World Ahead 2023: five stories to watch out for
Tom Standage, John Lubecki, Silvia Wardrobes, Inotye Ogbebo
India surpassed China to become the world's most populous nation in April 2023, presenting a potential demographic dividend that relies on resolving structural issues like low female labor participation and inadequate worker training. Simultaneously, the global medical and financial sectors face significant shifts as three psychedelic drugs advance toward regulatory approval for mental health conditions while the Bank of Japan's unconventional monetary policy creates risks for worldwide market stability. Major developments in 2023 also include the fashion industry's pivot toward circular economy practices to reduce textile waste and a surge in international efforts to repatriate colonial artifacts, such as the Benin bronzes and the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
- The Economist21 min
How will businesses use the metaverse?
The metaverse has evolved from a sci-fi concept into a multi-billion dollar industry driven by corporate investments from entities like Meta and NVIDIA, while industrial leaders such as ILM and Lockheed Martin leverage virtual production and digital twin technologies to revolutionize film, manufacturing, and military operations. Despite massive capital flows totaling over $120 billion in early 2022, the ecosystem faces a critical hurdle in establishing universal interoperability standards like Pixar's Universal Scene Description to connect disparate virtual worlds. As platforms like Roblox demonstrate the potential for decentralized economic creation, the technology continues to mature through advancements in real-time rendering and computing power, promising to reshape global interaction while replicating existing societal challenges.