Big Take

AI’s Giant Money Loop Is Feeling Very 2008

Big Take

Show Notes

The AI infrastructure boom is funded by a complex web of investments, as tech companies pour money into one another and foreign investors funnel still more cash into the industry. That flow of foreign money is also creating global imbalances — and flashbacks to the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Shawn Donnan and Bloomberg Economics’ Tom Orlik join David Gura on the AI industry’s global money machine: how it works and what risks it could pose to the global economy if the AI trade doesn’t deliver fast enough. Read more: AI’s Giant Money Loop Is Drawing Foreign Cash Like 2008 National Bureau of Economic Research: Financing the AI Buildout View profiles for each of the world’s 500 richest people, see the biggest movers, and compare fortunes or track returns on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Host: David Gura; Guests: Shawn Donnan and Tom Orlik; Produced by David Fox, Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Edited by Tracey Samuelson; Engineering by Emma Munger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More from Big Take

Oct 23, 2026

For the first time since the Oct. 7 attacks, Israelis are headed to the polls. The race is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is neck-and-neck with opponent Gadi Eisenkot in the latest polls. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Dan Williams examines the existential questions this election has raised: Will Israelis choose a post-Netanyahu future? And if they do, what would it mean for Israel and for the Palestinian territories? Read more: Win or Lose, Netanyahu Has Reshaped Israeli Politics in His Image Trump’s Endorsement of Netanyahu Falls Flat With Israeli Voters We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 22, 2026

Tesla disclosed this week that it had fallen short of its targets for AI infrastructure spending. Investors didn’t like that. Meta revealed its plans to lay out more than $800 billion on AI infrastructure over the next decade. Investors didn’t like that, either. On today’s Big Take podcast, why all eyes are on AI spending plans — and which US tech giants’ earnings to watch. Host Sarah Holder is joined by Michael Regan, managing editor for US equities, and Sarah Frier, managing editor for big tech, AI and startups. Read more: Meta Credit Risk Gauge Surges to Record on AI Spending Plans Meta Falls After Boosting Spending Plans for AI Bet Tesla’s Lowered Capex Plan Fuels Doubt on AI, Robotics Goals We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Host: Sarah Holder; Guests: Sarah Frier and Michael Regan; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott; Engineering by Emma Munger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 21, 2026

Amid the news that Elon Musk wants to merge Tesla and SpaceX, he has given $445 million to political races in the US midterms. That makes him one of the biggest-ever contributors in US history.

Oct 20, 2026

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wants to put Japan back in the fast lane, with huge investments in everything from AI to space technology. But can she generate the growth to justify the spending without unsettling markets and voters? On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Paul Jackson about Takaichi’s first-year scorecard and the economic and political pressures that could determine whether her agenda succeeds. Read more: Japan Is Still Figuring Out How a Female Prime Minister Should Lead

Oct 19, 2026

CoreWeave’s eye-popping debt and quest for new capital has some investors on edge. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg credit reporter Katherine Schwartz and AI infrastructure reporter Dina Bass join host Sarah Holder to make sense of the selloff, what it means for neoclouds and the future of the AI build-out. Read more: CoreWeave’s Business Is Sound Despite Debt Fears, JPMorgan Says We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

See all episodes →