

How Microsoft Excel Conquered Corporate America
Excel. Ifyou work in corporate America, that word either inspires laser-focused productivity or pure dread. Over the last 40 years, the spreadsheet software has become synonymous with the best — and worst — of late-stage capitalism. It’s seeped into popular culture and, along the way, made Microsof…

Are We Headed For Another ‘Crypto Winter’?
Back in October, Bitcoin reached a record high. Just a few weeks later, its price had plunged, taking out over $1 trillion dollars in assets along with it. On Tuesday, it rallied. But dips across the crypto market have left investors and analysts wondering what to make of the swings. On today’s Bi…

Hong Kong's Catastrophic Fire Provokes Questions and Fury
Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in decades has stirred up public anger over negligence, safety standards and official accountability. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Shawna Kwan and Jenni Marsh about the devastation, the political fallout and how the public o…

Where US-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine
On Monday, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff flew to Moscow, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited France. Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try and sell him on the latest version of a peace deal, which has Ukrainian input. But after a phone call between…

Weekend Listen: Ken Burns Says Gratitude Is the Missing Ingredient in Our Politics
Ken Burns has been telling stories about America for almost 50 years. The lauded documentary filmmaker has a new series on PBS, The American Revolution, which charts the period before and after 1776. It will air internationally ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. …

The Big Business of the Doodle Boom
Goldendoodles, bernedoodles, labradoodles, cockapoos, everywhere you look, it seems like doodles — those fluffy, adorable poodle mixes — are taking over sidewalks, cafes and TikTok feeds. But the ubiquity of the muppet-like canines has also come with some doggy drama. On today’s Big Take podcast, …

Wanted: Fed Chair. Must Run World’s Largest Economy, Manage Up
Weeks before the Trump administration is expected to name its pick for the next US Federal Reserve chair, current White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett leads a group of five finalists. Whoever prevails will have the significant job of guiding the US through challenging economic times, while ba…

All Eyes on Japan and China Tensions After Taiwan Remark
After a rare public comment on Taiwan from Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, relations between the two nations are at a historic low — and Beijing is ramping up its economic retaliation. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg’s James Mayger and Isabel Reynold…

Inside Trump’s Retribution Campaign
On Monday, a federal judge threw out the criminal cases filed by the Department of Justice against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. When President Trump took office in January, he made it clear that retribution against his perceived political enemies was…

Checking the Math on Trump’s $2,000 Checks
Under new pressures over inflation and affordability, President Donald Trump has been talking up a plan to share tariff revenues with Americans, in the form of $2,000 checks. But there are several major problems with this plan — and he’s lacking support among some of his most ardent allies. On tod…