Latest Interviews

Brazil elections: the enduring threat of Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro, Sarah Maslin

Jair Bolsonaro defied pre-election expectations in Brazil by securing a decisive lead in the presidential race, driven by a mobilized base of evangelical Christians, gun owners, and agribusiness farmers. His administration has significantly relaxed environmental and gun control regulations, consolidating legislative power through a coalition that holds half the lower house while systematically delegitimizing judicial and media institutions. Future stability remains precarious as analysts warn that a potential loss of the election could trigger political violence among armed supporters, mirroring tactics previously seen in the United States.

How the Mexican cartels are making profits now

Tom Standage

Over 100,000 annual fatalities in the United States are now driven by a synthetic opioid crisis where Mexican cartels have shifted production to decentralized, low-tech mobile labs that operate with gig-economy efficiency. This transformation has replaced traditional organized crime conglomerates with approximately 200 semi-autonomous groups that source cheap precursor chemicals from China to manufacture potent fentanyl at minimal cost. The resulting market shift has seen synthetic drug seizures surpass cocaine and heroin in 2021, as these criminal networks diversify revenue through high-value, low-volume trafficking to middle-class consumers.

Brazil’s elections: The Economist interviews Lula

Lula, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Sarah Maslin

In the volatile 2022 Brazilian presidential election, challenger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva leads polls against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro amidst unprecedented violence and deep polarization. Lula pledges to forge a broad post-election coalition, govern strictly under the constitution, and reindustrialize the economy by restoring development banks and prioritizing infrastructure to create jobs. Simultaneously, he refuses to apologize for past corruption allegations while promising rigorous investigation procedures and a "zero priority" focus on food security for the nation's poor.

Who Is Xi Jinping?

Xi Jinping

President Xi Jinping's rule is defined by an absolute prioritization of stability and national security, a stance rooted in the traumatic childhood experiences of the Cultural Revolution that instilled a lifelong aversion to chaos. Having consolidated power through a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, constitutional changes eliminating term limits, and an unprecedented surveillance apparatus, he has positioned the reunification of Taiwan as a historical imperative to surpass Mao Zedong's legacy. This ambition creates a critical strategic tension between completing the civil war and the potential for nuclear conflict, making Xi's decisions the central determinant of future global stability.

Joe Rogan and Lex Fridman at UFC 279

Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, Shane Gillis, Anthony Cumia

UFC President Dana White discussed the intense atmosphere of upcoming weigh-ins, noting the rare absence of visible fear among fighters while highlighting the high-stakes potential for chaos in the newly scheduled bout between Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson following Hamza Chamayev's massive 8.5-pound weight miss. This significant miss forced a complete reorganization of the fight card, pitting Chamayev against Kevin Holland in a challenging physical test and elevating the Diaz-Ferguson matchup to a main event spot that has generated considerable analyst speculation. Concurrently, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe shared his personal journey from a sheet metal worker to a prominent voice in comedy, using his expertise in pool to illustrate the complex balance between analytical precision and intuitive muscle memory required for mastery.

What is the future of the British monarchy?

Zanny Minton Beddoes, Catherine Nixey

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III assumes the throne amid a rapid surge in domestic approval ratings and significant global concern regarding the future cohesion of the Commonwealth. The monarch faces the immediate challenge of overcoming a legacy of personal controversies and establishing a distinct constitutional identity while attempting to distance himself from the monumental stature of his mother. Despite widespread speculation about slimming down the royal family, the institution is expected to endure as the transition solidifies Britain's status as a mid-sized nation with a shortened reign ahead.

Why America’s murder rate has spiked

Daniel Knowles

Between 2020 and 2022, the United States experienced a historic surge in homicides that erased decades of progress, driven by record firearm availability, pandemic-induced isolation, and eroded community trust following high-profile police killings. This spike disproportionately impacted Black communities and major cities like Philadelphia and New York, where violence rates climbed significantly despite the broader national trend diverging from global patterns. While violence interruption programs and calls for restored police relations offer potential mitigation strategies, experts warn that without targeted intervention, these elevated murder rates risk becoming a permanent national baseline.

Is the war in Ukraine nearing its end?

On September 6th, Ukraine launched a surprise counterattack supported by an unprecedented flow of Western intelligence and weaponry, liberating over 8,000 square kilometers of territory and collapsing Russian defenses around Kharkiv. This strategic reversal has forced the Kremlin into defensive silence while exposing internal vulnerabilities, including rising nationalist discontent and a direct threat to Vladimir Putin's legitimacy. Although the offensive has shifted Ukrainian war aims toward reclaiming all pre-2014 borders, experts maintain that while military victory remains achievable, the immediate collapse of the Russian state remains unpredictable.

What to expect from King Charles III

King Charles III

Upon becoming the world's oldest British monarch and longest-serving heir, Charles III must balance his role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England with the demands of a modern, religiously diverse nation. To ensure the institution's survival, he is strategically reducing the size of the working royal family to address public concerns over cost while navigating internal family tensions and the risk of constitutional crisis arising from his past political advocacy. This transition marks a shift from the universal respect commanded by his mother toward a more polarizing leadership style that relies on rapid adaptation to maintain the monarchy's public relevance.

Queen Elizabeth II: her reign in numbers

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for seven decades, transforming the British Empire into a voluntary Commonwealth of 54 nations while maintaining an average public approval rating of 80%. Her tenure saw the monarch become a global diplomatic powerhouse who visited over 100 countries and met with 13 US presidents, effectively serving as the primary glue holding the post-colonial organization together. Known for her unwavering work ethic and pioneering use of digital communication, she balanced immense societal shifts—from the rise of female labor to the legalization of same-sex marriage—with a consistent dedication to state affairs.

What Basic Game Theory Teaches Us About Startups

Dalton Caldwell, Michael Seibel

This analysis defines zero-sum games as extractive scenarios where one participant's gain equals another's loss, contrasting them with positive-sum activities that create enduring value through mutual benefit. The discussion highlights how cognitive biases and systemic incentives often drive individuals toward high-risk zero-sum behaviors like gambling and leveraged trading, resulting in catastrophic failures rather than sustainable learning. Ultimately, the framework argues that societal progress and personal well-being depend on prioritizing positive-sum interactions that solve real problems, as reliance on extraction leads to long-term instability and unhappiness.

Will Trump be president again?

Trump

Despite internal party fractures and ongoing legal challenges, Donald Trump's grip on the Republican Party remains unshaken following the 2022 defeat of prominent critic Liz Cheney, a result that has silenced opposition and consolidated his base. As Trump prepares to leverage his legal prosecutions as political grievances to secure the 2024 nomination, analysts project he may lose the national popular vote while remaining competitive enough to win the presidency through the Electoral College. This trajectory raises significant concerns regarding election integrity, particularly as Trump-endorsed officials in key states may utilize their positions to dispute or falsify results should he achieve a narrow victory.

The Better Customer–Startups or Big Enterprise?

Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel, Brad Flora

Top YC companies like Stripe, AWS, and Gusto demonstrate that selling to early-stage startups can serve as a validated "bottoms-up" strategy for eventual enterprise scaling, provided the product fits the specific constraints of small organizations. Conversely, founders frequently commit strategic errors by applying enterprise-grade solutions to startups without budget or scale, mistaking accessibility for genuine market fit or underestimating the high-maintenance nature of early customers. Successful transitions from startup adoption to enterprise dominance require acknowledging that while engineers can drive initial evangelism, large deals ultimately demand formal sales infrastructure and a deliberate product evolution aligned with customer growth stages.

The Saudi prince: how dangerous is MBS?

MBS, Khalid Al-Jabri, Nick Pelham, Nicholas Pelham

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rapidly consolidated absolute power in Saudi Arabia while dismantling the religious establishment to implement sweeping social reforms like women's driving rights and public entertainment. These changes accompany a controversial economic strategy known as Vision 2030 aimed at reducing oil dependence, despite the regime facing severe scrutiny over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and persistent human rights abuses. Analysts warn that MBS's aggressive centralization of authority and reliance on fear to suppress dissent create a volatile political environment where internal fractures or miscalculations could threaten the kingdom's stability.

How are offices changing?

Faye Wong, Ben Hamley

Multinational corporations are transforming offices into social hubs and adopting hub-and-spoke models to meet a global demand for flexibility, where 76% to 86% of workers across major regions now prioritize remote options over traditional in-office presence. This shift has triggered significant urban vacancies in major city centers and compelled companies to transition from presenteeism-based management to performance-driven evaluation. While this evolution supports mixed-use urban planning and reduces commuting, it simultaneously risks exacerbating gender inequalities, particularly for working mothers in Asian markets.