Author: Marketplace

President Trump reportedly has floated a plan that would have the U.S. government take partial control of Intel, the ailing chipmaking giant. We look at how a potential deal might shake out and what obstacles it could face. Then, on the other side of the Pacific, workers at Chinese AI companies are working long hours in the heated global AI race. And finally, the BBC’s Jane Chambers reports on the economic malaise in Bolivia that’s shaping this weekend’s elections.

Target and Ulta have announced an end to their partnership, effectively closing hundreds of Target-based Ulta locations opened since 2021. We look at how differing business models and clientele led to the breakup. Then, a report on the latest developments from the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. And finally, we delve into a new report that explores why many hospital patients suffering from mental illness are discharged into nursing homes.

From the BBC World Service: The world's first humanoid robot games in China involve soccer, dancing, and boxing. But it's not just about the sport; the event is also designed to attract investment. Then, as Bolivia heads to the polls this weekend, an economic crisis is front and centre in voters’ minds. And later, UN talks on a global plastics treaty have ended without a deal.

On today’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review, Perplexity AI has offered $34.5 billion to buy Alphabet's Chrome browser, despite the fact the tech giant hasn't said it's for sale. Plus, the reviews are in for OpenAI's highly anticipated GPT-5 model and they're kinda…mixed. But first, President Trump gave chipmakers Nvidia and AMD the green light to sell their less powerful semiconductors in China, in exchange for a 15% cut of sales revenue. The deal is already raising eyebrows and legal questions.

Earlier this week, the July CPI report showed consumer prices remained steady, despite tariff noise. Today’s producer price index tells a different story: Wholesale prices grew a whopping 3.3% year-over-year. When might retailers pass those higher costs on to consumers? We break it down. Plus: Automated applications sow pessimism among job hunters, New York City marks two months of a ban on tenant-paid broker fees, and U.S. oil refineries face regionally different outlooks.

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It’s not just you — we feel the bad vibes in the job market too. On the show today, we’ll unpack how what we’re hearing from those on the job hunt compares to what the data shows about a labor market slump. And, President Donald Trump says he wants to allow riskier assets like crypto and private equity investments in retirement accounts. Plus, mocktails make us smile.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(K) Investors" from The White House
• "Should You Include Cryptocurrency in 401(k) Investments?" from AARP
• "Trump wants your 401(k) to access crypto and private equity. Here's what to know." from CBS News
• "Would you add crypto to your retirement portfolio?" from Marketplace
• "How do hiring sites deal with a slowing job market?" from Marketplace

• "Long-term unemployment is rising as uncertain businesses hold off on hiring" from Marketplace

  
  

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President Donald Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month, claiming that the monthly jobs numbers — which were revised downward — were “rigged” to make him look bad. Plenty of companies use BLS data to make business decisions. With questions raised about the quality and regularity of that data now, how do alternate data sources compare? Also: a flare of inflation at the wholesale level and a comeback for adjustable-rate mortgages.

In addition to the many considerations surrounding cost, those who lost homes in this year's California wildfires may also be looking for an environmentally-friendly way to rebuild that's able to withstand the next fire. Today, Marketplace's David Brancaccio explores mass timber, which doesn't burn easily, as an option for home reconstruction. But first, New York’s attorney general is suing the company that runs Zelle, alleging its customers were left open to fraud.

From the BBC World Service: Talks on the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution are coming to an end, and so far, there's no deal. What are the major sticking points, and what's the likelihood of finalizing an agreement? Then, dairy farmers in the United Kingdom are warning that a chronic shortage of skilled workers is threatening the country's food security. And later, Fortnite could return to Australian smartphones.

China’s labor market is known for being intense, especially in the tech sector. For years high profile tech workers have embraced the “996” schedule – that's 9am to 9pm six days a week.

And recently, Silicon Valley startups have reportedly been leaning in to the “996” grind themselves. So now China is taking it up a notch.