OpenAI is seeking to shape the public narrative about AI with the purchase of a niche talk show popular with Silicon Valley insiders.
Posted inNPR
Greetings from downtown Cairo, where unpretentious cafés are part of centuries-old charm
Downtown Cairo, or Wust el-Balad as it’s known, is a trove of hidden gems. Imprinted on every high-ceilinged building, arched balcony and iconic roundabout are relics that feel like love letters from the past.
Posted inNPR
11 new books in April offer a chance to step inside someone else’s world
The books we’re spotlighting this month don’t exactly radiate escapist good vibes — but they do offer the opportunity to step into someone else’s life and get to know their view of our shared world.
Posted inNPR
Oil prices plunge and stocks soar after U.S. and Iran agree on ceasefire
Investors around the world breathed a sigh of relief at the prospect of peace — and an easing of the global energy crisis.
Posted inNPR
Netflix does Nordic noir right in ‘Jo Nesbø’s Detective’ series
A tortured Oslo police detective may be on the trail of a psycho killer in this genuinely suspenseful screen adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s The Devil’s Star.
Posted inNPR
Abortion clinics are closing nationwide. Could urgent care help fill the gap?
When the only clinic that offered abortions in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula closed, an urgent care decided to step in to fill the gap. Now, others are considering similar moves as brick-and-mortar clinics close in blue states.
Posted inNPR
Colleges are trying to boost student voting. A Trump probe freezes data for that work
To figure out how to boost student voting, colleges have relied on a study about campus voter registration and turnout rates. A Trump administration investigation has cut schools off from new data.
Posted inNPR
Your sarcasm is showing — and its history is surprisingly violent
Some people use sarcasm jokingly. But funnily enough, we tend not to find it witty when we’re on the receiving end.
Posted inNPR
U.S. and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire
As part of the agreement, set to take effect immediately, Trump said the U.S. and Israel would suspend bombing Iran for two weeks, subject to Iran following through on its commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for safe passage during the ceasefire period.
Posted inNPR
A pro-worker experiment in private equity
Live event info and tickets here.Â
If your company got bought by a private equity firm, how would you feel? Maybe a little nervous? You might find yourself wondering if there will be layoffs.
And you’d be right to worry about that. Research shows that while private equity ownership can boost a company’s productivity, it does generally result in job cuts.Â
But one private equity executive is trying to do things a different way – giving workers equity, little cuts of ownership in their own companies. To see if doing so can improve outcomes overall.Â
On today’s show, private equity is not widely beloved for its societal costs – job losses, product degradation, worsening inequality. And this one guy at this one firm can’t solve all of his industry’s ills. But for the past 15 years, he’s been running a large-scale, real-world experiment to see if giving workers ownership can fit into the big bad world of PE. And maybe lead to more … equity.Â
Recommended Listening/Reading:
What Do Private Equity Firms Actually Do?
The risk of private equity in your 401(k)
Here’s what happens when private equity buys homes in your neighborhood (newsletter)
JScrewedÂ
Find the Planet Money book. / Subscribe to Planet Money+
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This episode was hosted by Mary Childs and Wailin Wong. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Jess Jiang with an assist from Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, engineered by Cena Loffredo with help from Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.Â
Music: Universal Production Music – “Make Me Want You,” “Baby I Surrender,” and “Bye Bye Bye”
