Meta launches its own, dedicated AI app that could go head to head with the likes of ChatGPT. Plus, a massive data leak put California Blue Shield members' most sensitive medical details at risk. And how is the health tech investment sector navigating all the recent economic uncertainty from the Trump Administration’s latest trade war? Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino and Christina Farr, managing director at Manatt Health, explore all these topics on this week’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.
Marketplace All-in-One - What will Trump’s trade war do to labor productivity?
An upward climb in labor productivity has been a promising economic trend over the past few years. That’s important because productivity drives overall economic growth. But President Trump’s trade war, which is causing many businesses big and small to hold off on major investments, could cause that productivity to stagnate. Also in this episode: Coca-Cola reports stronger-than-expected earnings, the GOP wants EV owners to pay for road maintenance costs usually covered by a gas tax and the Sunbelt housing market turns lukewarm.
Marketplace All-in-One - Buy less, pay more?
This week, President Trump acknowledged his tariffs were resulting in costlier items in the U.S., but maintained his position that China was taking the majority of the heat. If people can’t afford to buy as much, might that be a recipe for recession? We’ll discuss, and answer a listener’s question on what exactly is a recession. Plus, how uncertain economic conditions might make someone reconsider a luxury cheese purchase.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- Recession defined by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
- “Trump says US kids may get '2 dolls instead of 30,' but China will suffer more in a trade war” from the Associated Press
- WATCH: “Trump says kids may get '2 dolls instead of 30' because of trade war with China” from the Associated Press
- “Trump, on Tariffs, Says ‘Maybe the Children Will Have 2 Dolls Instead of 30’” from The New York Times
- “Spending by American companies on computers in Q1 grew at the fastest pace since 1983” by Marketplace
- Check out the Canadian cheese shop Kimberly mentions in this episode
Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
Marketplace All-in-One - Will you be my nanny?
Hanna Sanborn was a single mom with newborn twins, struggling to find affordable childcare. Her best friend, Bryer Rossi, was burned out at work and looking for a way out. One day, Hanna floated an idea to him: “What if you quit your job and took care of my babies?”
What started as a running joke between friends turned into a lifeline that changed their lives and the way they saw each other.
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Marketplace All-in-One - I’m an investor nearing retirement. How should I be thinking right now?
The stock market has been a bit of a roller coaster over the past month. For stock investors who don't need their money now, perhaps it’s no big deal. But if you're eyeing retirement in the near term, what questions should you be asking yourself? We'll discuss with Pam Krueger, host of the PBS personal finance show, “MoneyTrack.” Plus: why Starbucks is letting an algorithm decide the order in which drinks get made.
Marketplace All-in-One - Spring’s a big time for buying and selling homes … normally
But times are not normal. New data shows pending home sales are down year over year in most of the country, with the exception of the Midwest. Lack of affordability is a huge issue, but so is uncertainty about the future. Also: stock futures are pointing up this morning after rosy results from tech companies, and why President Donald Trump's tariff policy is the "greatest act of geopolitical self-harm" one political scientist has ever seen.
Marketplace All-in-One - The U.S. and Ukraine strike a minerals deal
From the BBC World Service: After months of fraught negotiations, the U.S. has signed a deal with Kyiv to share profits from the future sale of Ukraine's mineral and energy reserves. Plus, Facebook's parent company says its users could face a "materially worse" experience after a major regulatory blow from the European Commission. We'll also visit a huge wholesale market to see how businesses in China are faring amid the trade war.
Marketplace All-in-One - When an AI internet search competes against a human internet search
When President Jimmy Carter died late last year, the foundation that runs Wikipedia noticed something unusual: the flood of interest in the late president created a content bottleneck, slowing load times for about an hour.
Wikipedia is built to handle spikes in traffic like this, according to the Wikimedia Foundation, but it's also dealing with a surge of bots scraping the site to train AI models, and clogging up its servers in the process, the organization’s chief product and technology officer Selena Deckelmann told Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino.
Marketplace All-in-One - “March is ancient history”
The latest GDP calculations and PCE index tell us the U.S. economy is doing … OK. Importantly, the data doesn’t point to stagflation. But the data was collected from January through March 2025, and at this point, March is old news. Also in this episode: American companies ramp up their spending on computers, Nike’s struggle to move sneaker manufacturing out of Asia is a cautionary tale and Texas becomes the biggest state to send public dollars to private schools through school choice vouchers.
Marketplace All-in-One - What’s driving the GDP slowdown?
The Commerce Department reported the U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of this year. We’ll break down the GDP math formula and dig into what the latest report says about where the US economy may be headed. And, should businesses be transparent about the impact of tariffs on prices? A nixed plan from Amazon serves as a cautionary tale of the political risks. Plus, feeling stressed these days? Cow cuddling and bee therapy might help.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
-"Trump blames Biden after GDP shrinks in first quarter, says growth will 'take a while'" from CNBC
-"Businesses weigh how much to tell customers about tariffs' impact on price" from Marketplace
-"Trump-Bezos call sets stage for tense earnings report from Amazon" from CNBC
-"Trump vs. Amazon’s Brilliant Tariff Idea" from The Wall Street Journal
-"The Americans Fled Vietnam 50 Years Ago. I Visited the Buildings They Left Behind." from The New York Times
"Anxious about the world? Cow cuddling or bee buzzing might help ease your stress" from The Denver Post
Got a question for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.