Latest Interviews

Why US tariffs on China will hurt American shoppers

Don

Effective May 2, the Trump administration revoked the "de minimis" exemption, eliminating duty-free status for Chinese imports under $800 and directly impacting the US market-dependent business models of fast-fashion giants Shein and Temu. Facing high tariff costs that threaten their core pricing advantages, these companies currently rely on direct shipping from Chinese hubs while navigating geopolitical pressure from Beijing against relocating manufacturing to avoid tariffs. Experts anticipate Shein and Temu will survive this regulatory shift by diversifying into new global markets and transitioning into multinational corporations despite strict US efforts to close trade loopholes.

Is the world still working from home?

Archie Hall

A 2024 survey by Stanford's Nicholas Bloom across 40 nations reveals that hybrid work adoption correlates strongly with cultural individualism, ranging from 1.9 days weekly in Canada to 0.5 days in South Korea. These divergent patterns have reshaped housing markets by driving suburban price surges of up to 50% while depressing urban centers, alongside increased leisure efficiency but a notable 30-minute rise in daily solitary time. Despite concerns over social isolation, the aggregate assessment remains that remote work delivers a net positive global impact by unlocking economic efficiencies in housing and providing critical autonomy for workers.

Has Trump damaged the dollar?

Trump, Henry Curr, Jason

Following President Trump's reciprocal tariff announcements, a simultaneous sell-off in US bonds, equities, and the dollar signals a breakdown in historical market correlations and a generalized flight from American assets. This volatility is driven by aggressive fiscal expansion plans and administration rhetoric questioning the benefits of dollar dominance, which have raised concerns about the sustainability of foreign capital holdings in US Treasuries. While no current alternative currency offers comparable liquidity to challenge the dollar, the resulting permanent risk premium has created a less stable global financial system that requires urgent political coordination to avoid further instability.

Canuck of the draw: Canada’s election campaigns

Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Rob Russo, Aaron Connelly, Alexandra Sewich-Bass

Following Justin Trudeau's resignation, Mark Carney led the Liberal Party to victory in the April 28th snap election by pivoting to economic pragmatism while leveraging a two-horse race against Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives that focused on managing the geopolitical threat of Donald Trump. Simultaneously, China maintained a hardline diplomatic stance in the South China Sea, utilizing strategic pressure on regional partners like India and Australia while avoiding conciliatory negotiations due to President Xi Jinping's centralized control over foreign policy. These political shifts occurred alongside a surge in dystopian fiction sales and cultural analysis, as works like Leila Lalami's *The Dream Hotel* reflected society's increasing acceptance of mass surveillance and risk-based governance in response to domestic instability.

How more women can become CEOs

Margherita Della Valle

While the FTSE 100 recently achieved gender parity among non-executive directors, the path to equal female representation in CEO roles remains decades away due to the persistent "motherhood penalty" and structural hiring biases. High-profile departures in 2023, often driven by the "glass cliff" phenomenon where women are appointed during crises, highlight the urgent need to replace ineffective training with behavioral design and Nordic-style family support policies. Experts argue that accelerating these systemic changes is essential to unlock the superior decision-making and success rates associated with fully utilizing the female talent pipeline.

AI bosses on what keeps them up at night

Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, Zanny Minton Beddoes

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis offer diverging timelines for Artificial General Intelligence, with Amodei predicting arrival by 2026–2027 and Hassabis estimating a 50% probability only by 2030. Both leaders warn of severe geopolitical risks from authoritarian dominance and catastrophic safety failures, advocating for an international "CERN for AGI" framework and new global institutions akin to the IAEA to manage the technology. While Amodei emphasizes the danger of a self-improving threshold moment and the potential for lab-tested autonomous agents to cause immediate harm, Hassabis highlights regulatory imbalances and the medium-term potential for AI to solve major scientific challenges like curing diseases.

Could AI build cities in space?

Ed Mayer, Mark Woods, Alok Jha

Leading aerospace organizations and private innovators like Machina Labs and Relativity Space are deploying AI-guided robotics to establish autonomous manufacturing capabilities essential for constructing a trillion-dollar space economy by 2040. These dual-robotic systems and advanced 3D printing technologies address critical communication latency and maintenance challenges by enabling independent decision-making for infrastructure projects on the Moon and Mars. Ultimately, this technological paradigm shift facilitates NASA's Artemis program and private ambitions to transition from temporary exploration to a permanent, multi-planetary human presence.

Legally bombed: Trump cases dropped

Trump, Rosie Bloor, Adam O'Neill, Dina Musa, Andrew Palmer

Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss two federal cases against former President Donald Trump, citing presidential immunity and the constitutional policy barring the prosecution of sitting presidents, while Trump simultaneously declared a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports. Concurrently, a New York court found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts regarding hush money payments, though sentencing was indefinitely postponed to prevent the conviction of an active president. Legal analysts note that while these federal cases can be refiled depending on future political control, Trump and his allies view the dismissals as a definitive victory against politically motivated prosecutions.

The World Bank chief on Donald Trump

Donald Trump, Ajay Banga, Zanny Minton Beddoes, RJ Banga

The event analyzes the structural shift in global trade toward nearshoring and bilateral deals driven by the Trump administration's tariff policies while detailing the World Bank's strategic pivot to prioritize climate resilience and local consumption in the Global South. To bridge the funding gap for emerging markets, the institution has raised its climate financing target to 45% by 2025 and actively mobilizes private capital through expanded political risk guarantees and local currency swaps. Despite these efforts, the discussion concludes that current investment levels remain insufficient and that the Bank maintains a cautious stance on nuclear energy, waiting for Small Modular Reactors to achieve commercial viability before providing direct support.

Will young people let democracy die?

Robert Guest

A 2023 Open Society Foundations survey across 30 countries reveals a sharp generational decline in democratic support, where only 57% of 18–35-year-olds prefer democracy compared to 71% of those over 55. This dissatisfaction, driven by economic opportunity gaps in mature democracies and reform fatigue in transitioning states, is fueling a global shift toward populist leaders who promise short-term economic relief. While this trend initially boosts support for anti-system actors, it ultimately risks eroding democratic institutions and enabling authoritarianism through growing apathy rather than active opposition.

Ground assault: Israeli forces invade Lebanon

Rosie Bloor, Greg Karlstrom, Noah Snyder, Andrew Palmer

Israel has initiated a targeted ground incursion into southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and facilitate the return of displaced residents, a move supported by the Biden administration only under strict conditions of limited scope. Simultaneously, Japan's political landscape has shifted as Ishiba Shigeru secured the prime ministership through an unprecedented nine-way contest, signaling a pivot toward conservative liberal policies despite facing an unstable coalition. While these geopolitical maneuvers reshape regional stability, separate corporate commentary highlights the detrimental impact of mandatory "sandwich lunches" on workplace efficiency and employee well-being.

An assassination attempt: what next for America?

Rosie Bloor, Idris Kahloun, Daniel Franklin

Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally in which the gunman was killed by Secret Service agents, resulting in one attendee's death and critical injuries to two others. While President Joe Biden temporarily halted attack ads and called for national unity, the event triggered immediate partisan maneuvering that forced both campaigns to recalibrate their messaging strategies ahead of the 2024 election. Historical analysis suggests this crisis will momentarily consolidate support for Trump and stall Democratic succession rumors, though polling indicates the fundamental election trajectory remains largely unchanged despite the intense polarization.

Is nuclear fusion the future of clean energy?

Charlotte Howard

Following record-breaking plasma temperatures at 100 million degrees Celsius, private fusion startups like Tokamak Energy and US-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems are racing to achieve commercial net energy production by the 2030s. This ambitious timeline relies on overcoming significant engineering hurdles in materials science and containment through a collaboration between global firms and public research bodies such as the UK's Atomic Energy Authority. With over $6 billion in investment fueling more than 42 private entities, the industry aims to deliver stable, low-waste baseload power as a critical solution for global decarbonization.

Hoax school shootings: inside America's epidemic

In February 2023, a coordinated wave of sophisticated SWAT hoaxes targeting schools across the United States, including a specific incident at Aspen Elementary School that triggered a lockdown for 500 students and deployed over 90 first responders, highlighted the rise of organized criminal enterprises utilizing dark web services and AI-generated voices. Investigators linked these events to known swatters and characterized the attacks as potential domestic terrorism after finding consistent scripts and high-tech anonymization tactics that evade traditional tracking. While 16 states have since elevated these offenses to felonies and VoIP providers like TextNow have tightened security measures, the FBI continues to struggle with identifying perpetrators due to the anonymity provided by VPNs and cryptocurrency payments.

Winning the long war in Ukraine

The Ukrainian counter-offensive has transitioned the conflict into a protracted war of attrition, prompting leadership to reject short-term victory timelines in favor of long-term endurance strategies. Kyiv is increasingly leveraging deep-strike drone campaigns against Russian strategic assets and the home front to shatter Kremlin narratives without triggering major escalation, thereby encouraging allied nations to reconsider supplying advanced weaponry. With peace negotiations deemed futile as both sides bet on exhaustion, the conflict's trajectory now depends on societal resilience and economic stability rather than immediate territorial gains, with analysts predicting the war will only end when Russia's leadership determines the human and financial costs are unsustainable.