How middlemen took over the economy

Americans have absorbed the Protestant work ethic: the idea that our value as human beings – and our eventual salvation – is determined by how hard we work. Political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains how this evolved, why it pervades everything, and why it’s no longer serv ...  Show more

Sean talks with writer Christine Emba about the strange and increasingly anti-social world young people are inheriting online. They discuss the rise of “looksmaxxing,” the manosphere, Gen Z’s retreat from dating and sex, and how the internet has transformed what might have been n ...  Show more

Emily Stewart joins Dara and Matt to discuss the prospects for Covid relief and Janet Yellen. Resources: "Janet Yellen's mistake" by Matthew Yglesias, Slowboring.com "Electoral politics on an unfair playing field" by Aaron Strauss, Slowboring.com White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesia ...  Show more

Economist Milton Friedman published an essay in 1970 arguing that the job of a corporation was solely to make money for its shareholders. General Electric CEO Jack Welch pushed that idea about as far as it would go — and broke capitalism. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, ...  Show more

A much-dreaded recession doesn’t actually seem to be materializing. We called up some experts — economics reporters Tracy Alloway and Greg Ip, plus our boss, Vox CEO Jim Bankoff — to figure out what’s going on. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fa ...  Show more

Wealthy companies like Google and Microsoft are announcing unprecedented layoffs — all while the economy is trending in the right direction. Vox’s Emily Stewart explains. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered ...  Show more