Is Business Broken?

Where does innovation begin? What are the critical factors driving innovation today and tomorrow? And what happens when federal funding gets shaky, the IPO market stalls, and political uncertainty rattles an entire industry? A century and a half after Boston University Professor Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone, questions around the innovation economy are more urgent than ever. At a live show, recorded at the WBUR Festival in Boston, host Curt Nickisch sits down to explore these qu

Ocean shipping carries close to 90% of global trade, and it accounts for about 3% of global emissions. The International Maritime Organization has set ambitious targets to reduce those by 20% by 2030, by 70% by 2040, and reach net zero by 2050. Ships are expensive and pay for themselves over decades, and the technology for green fuels is still developing. What are you supposed to do if you're a shipping company? Do you invest early and take on the risk? Do you drag your feet? And why should we

We are living through a massive migration of wealth. More and more capital is leaving public markets and flowing into private equity. There's even a growing push to let everyday investors put their retirement savings into private markets. But as private equity's footprint expands, so does the debate over who actually benefits. Has private equity made the economy more efficient, innovative, and productive — or has it become a system for extracting wealth at the expense of workers, consumers, and

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Business category! We couldn't be prouder of all of our listeners who helped make this possible. And with this nomination, we're up for a People's Voice award. We’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to vote for us: https://wbby.co/57452N. The voting period ends this Thursday, April 16th. Thank you so much!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI is already making its way into healthcare, from helping doctors write notes to interpreting medical images and managing growing amounts of patient data. As one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., healthcare is quickly becoming a major testing ground for these tools. As tech giants roll out health-focused chatbots and tools, patients and providers face big questions: Is AI giving doctors back the time and presence that the business of medicine stripped away? Or will it become anoth

Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving into Hollywood, from visual effects and editing to script development and production workflows. In the realms of creative industries, the question looms large: Is AI a complement to human creativity, or is it a substitute that may eventually replace it? Host Curt Nickisch unpacks this question and more with BU Questrom professor Carey Morewedge, Roma Murphy, animation writer and co-chair of the AI committee at the Animation Guild, Tim Herrold, a visual e

Self-driving cars are logging millions of miles in a growing number of U.S. cities. Waymo now wants to test its newest robotaxis on Boston’s narrow streets, rotaries, and snowy roads. But are drivers ready to hand over the wheel to AI? What makes people trust or reject a technology that asks them to give up control? And what kind of future are we really driving toward? Host Curt Nickisch unpacks these questions and more with BU Questrom professor Carey Morewedge, entrepreneur Basak Ozer, AAA

In recent years, the Federal Reserve has faced down enormous economic challenges: rising inflation, new trade policies, a pandemic, and a weaker labor market. So how much are tariffs really driving price increases? How should we measure inflation in a modern economy? And how has bank regulation reshaped the Fed’s balance sheet and the role it plays?  At a recent live event, Host Curt Nickisch sits down with Stephen Miran, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Previou