Show Notes
Yet another consequence of the war in Iran is a looming supply shock in plastics. Plastics, which are derived from oil byproducts, are everywhere, but their origins remain somewhat mysterious to the average consumer. Today on the show we demystify the plastics industry with Beth Gardiner, author of the new book Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet an expose of the industry that underlies modern consumer culture. Together with Matt and David, th...
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For years, gamers and the gaming industry have been a testing ground for many of the topics we regularly discuss on Organized Money: digital licenses standing in for true ownership; unending subscriptions; dark patterns; endless consolidation; and more. Now gamers are organizing to fight corporate greed. Today, David Dayen and Laurel Kilgore speak with Otis East, a founding member of Players Alliance HQ, and Zefrine, a Sims content creator, about the gaming industry, and their work arou...
Over the last several weeks, AI regulation fever has swept Congress, with competing ideas coming from various corners of Congress and the AI giants. On the table are solutions ranging from formal bans on superintelligence to a self-regulatory regime similar to banks. Today, David and Laurel sit down with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) to discuss her approach. The National AI Charter Act Framework, which relies on an old but reliable method of regulating AI companies using corporate charters: ...
With Matt on paternity leave, David is joined by co-host Laurel Kilgour to talk college sports! The Protect College Sports Act is a piece of legislation which seeks to do the opposite of what it says on the tin. Instead of “saving” college sports, it seeks to roll back the recent spate of state and federal rulings that have granted college athletes more rights over their likenesses, easier mobility between teams, and pay from the schools themselves. The bill just passed the Senate easily, b...
Matt is out (for happy reasons), so please enjoy this repeat from last year. It's one of our favorite episodes, and we'll be back soon! Today on the show, Matt and David sit down with Sam Levine and Stephanie Nguyen, formerly of the FTC under Lina Khan, to discuss the dark side of customer loyalty programs like frequent flyer miles, corporate discount cards, and ordering apps from chains like Starbucks and McDonalds. Their new paper, The Loyalty Trap: How Loyalty Programs Hook Us with Deals, ...
Whether or not you buy into the argument that AI will kill all humanity, it’s inarguable that there’s suddenly a rush to find a regulatory framework for AI in DC with the support of the AI giants themselves. But until recently, Anthropic and OpenAI were full steam ahead—what gives? What if this is actually about something much more mundane? What are they really afraid of? On today’s episode, we sit down with Organized Money alum David Seligman of Towards Justice, and Colorado State Represen...