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Planet Money The economy, explained, with stories and surprises. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening. That's what we're going for at Planet Money. People seem to like it.

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The Economy Explained
TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy
George Butler/Twenty Thousand Hertz

Planet Money

TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy

by  ,  ,  Casey Emmerling ,  , 

When TikTok videos started to go viral on Instagram and Reddit, TikTok turned to professional sound designers to protect their content.

TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy

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A sign that says 'No Data Center Complex'
Ulysse Bellier/Getty Images

The Indicator

No AI data centers in my backyard!

by  Dustin Dwyer ,  ,  , 

In the rush to power AI, data centers are popping up in small communities across the U.S. But a growing backlash against this build-out is pitting communities against developers over energy prices and water use. Today on the show, one Michigan community’s fight to stop a data center and what it means for Big Tech. Related episodes: 

Why data center backlash is growing

Listen · 9:29
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Wall Street inscription on a building
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Indicator

Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?

by  ,  ,  , 

Quarterly earnings reports are a long-standing requirement for public companies in the U.S. But the Trump administration wants to axe quarterly releases and just release them twice a year. And there is evidence to suggest this could be better in the long run for companies and investors. On today’s show, we look at the potential benefits and trade-offs of changing how often companies report their financial results. 

Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?

Listen · 8:25
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Murphy the dog awaits treatment at a mobile veterinary service for pets in Los Angeles.

Murphy the dog awaits treatment at a mobile veterinary service for pets in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Indicator

Why are veterinarian bills getting so ruff on the wallet?

by  ,  ,  , 

Since 2020, the cost of veterinary care has increased about 40%—almost twice the rate of inflation. As a result, many pet owners say they've skipped necessary vet care. So, what's going on here? A veterinarian, and a lesser-known economic theory, have some answers. 

Why are veterinarian bills getting so ruff on the wallet?

Listen · 8:24
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How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions
Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Planet Money

How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions

by  ,  ,  , 

Bjarne Caesar Skinnerup works as a maritime pilot in the straits of Denmark. That means he’s used to seeing oil tankers. But after the start of the war in Ukraine, the tankers started getting weird. They were flying flags he’d never seen before. They were old, very old, though many had taken on new names. Something was off. 

How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions

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Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine performs at Madison Square Garden.

Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine performs at Madison Square Garden. Theo Wargo/Getty Images hide caption

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Theo Wargo/Getty Images

The Indicator

Government shutdown fallout, price floors, and AI slop against the machine

by  ,  ,  ,  , 

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Frozen and canceled federal dollars, America’s intensifying tit-for-tat with China, and a sloppy trend infiltrating the music business. (With a pocket full of shells.)Related episodes: 

Government shutdown fallout, price floors, and AI slop against the machine

Listen · 9:20
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Tech leaders, including Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, attend a dinner hosted by US President Trump with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump. SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images

The Indicator

OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy

by  ,  ,  , 

There have been many headline-grabbing AI deals recently: Nvidia investing up to $100 billion in OpenAI. OpenAI promising to buy $300 billion worth of computing power from Oracle. Oracle buying tons of chips from Nvidia. 

OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy

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Piles of garbage from commercial establishments litter curbs of New York's 48th St. between 5th and Madison Aves. Dec.12,1975, as a strike by private garbagemen entered its 11th day.
Dave Pickoff/AP Images

Planet Money

The year NYC went broke

by  ,  ,  , 

In 1975, New York City ran out of money. For a decade it had managed to pay for its hundreds of thousands of city employees and robust social services by taking on billions of dollars in debt. But eventually investors were no longer willing to lend the city any more money. New York teetered on the edge of bankruptcy — the city shuttered more than a dozen firehouses, teachers went on strike and garbage piled up in the streets.

The year NYC went broke

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Justin Marston, CEO of Campus Guardian Angel, displays one of the company's drones for deterring mass shooters at the National Association of School Resource Officers in Grapevine, Texas.

Justin Marston, CEO of Campus Guardian Angel, displays one of the company's drones that could be used to deter mass shooters at the National Association of School Resource Officers in Grapevine, Texas, in July 2025. Meg Anderson / NPR Meg Anderson/NPR hide caption

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Meg Anderson/NPR

The Indicator

Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings

by  ,  ,  , 

From drones to body armor to bulletproof whiteboards, companies are offering schools a multitude of products to try to deter or protect against the next school shooting. But does any of this stuff work? On today’s show, a look inside the school shooting industry. What's for sale and the psychology behind the growing industry.Related episodes:  

Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings

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An illustration demonstrating concepts of economic historian Joel Mokyr's work
Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Indicator

Why do we live in unusually innovative times?

by  ,  ,  , 

For most of human history, economic growth was, well, pretty bleak. But around the Enlightenment, things started clicking. This year's Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences went to a trio of researchers whose work focuses on how technological progress led to this sustained economic growth. Today we hear from one of them, Joel Mokyr, about his work on European economic history. Related episodes: 

Why do we live in unusually innovative times?

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he US Treasury Department building in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

How the government got hedge funded

by  ,  ,  , 

The U.S. government spends a ton of money, on everything from Medicare to roads to defense. In fact, it spends way more than it takes in. So…it borrows money, in the bond market. By selling U.S. Treasurys, basically IOUs with periodic interest payments. And for decades, people have loved to invest in Treasurys, for their safety and security. 

How the government got hedge funded

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Scam compounds, sewing patterns and stolen dimes

Our hosts talk about their favorite true crime content. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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Jackie Lay/NPR

The Indicator

Scam compounds, sewing patterns and stolen dimes

by  ,  ,  ,  , 

As Vice Week wraps up here at The Indicator, we wanted to take a slightly different perspective on the evolving business of crime and take a look at TRUE crime. As in the genre. Because look, people are obsessed with it! Today on the show, our hosts favorite pieces of true crime content. 

Scam compounds, sewing patterns and stolen dimes

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How AI might mess with financial markets

AI is making markets smarter … and scarier. What happens when trading bots start to collude? Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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Jackie Lay/NPR

The Indicator

How AI might mess with financial markets

by  ,  ,  , 

Market manipulation is an age-old issue. People trying to make money off unsuspecting investors by artificially influencing the price of a stock, say. But what happens when the one manipulating markets isn't human? 

How AI might mess with financial markets

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Two ways AI is changing the business of crime (Two Indicators)

Crime is being supercharged by AI, while regulation is struggling to keep up. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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Planet Money

Two ways AI is changing the business of crime (Two Indicators)

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Pre-order the Planet Money book here for your free gift. Our sister show, The Indicator, is chronicling the evolving business of crime for its Vice Week series. Today, we bring to you two cases of crime in the age of AI. First, cybercriminals are using our own voices against us. Audio deepfake scams are picking up against individuals but also against businesses. We hear from a bank on how they’re adapting defenses, and find out how the new defenses are a game of AI vs AI. Then, we move over to the stock market to witness AI market manipulation. A new breed of trading bots behave differently. They could collude with each other, even without human involvement or instruction, so researchers are asking how to think about blame, and regulation in a world of more sophisticated trading bots. That’s assuming regulators could even keep up with the tech in the first place. Indicator Vice Series 

Two ways AI is changing the business of crime (Two Indicators)

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When cartels start to diversify

Wildlife trafficking is increasingly intersecting with the illicit drug trade. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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The Indicator

When cartels start to diversify

by  ,  ,  , 

The Sinaloa Cartel made the bulk of its money on cocaine. But cartels are diversifying into new operations including things like wildlife trafficking. Think sharks, jaguars, capybaras. The result is something called “narco-degradation.” On today’s show, we look at what’s driving cartels beyond drugs and how this is wreaking havoc on ecosystems in Central America.

When cartels start to diversify

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Data breaches are getting easier. What’s going on?

Data breaches are getting easier. What's going on? Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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The Indicator

What’s supercharging data breaches?

by  ,  ,  , 

It may seem like data breaches have gotten a heck of a lot more common. Well, there’s something to that. The bad guys are getting badder faster than the good guys are getting better. 

What’s supercharging data breaches?

Listen · 9:05
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Fighting AI with AI

AI is now being used to fight AI when it comes to deepfakes Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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Jackie Lay/NPR

The Indicator

Fighting AI with AI

by  ,  ,  , 

With only several seconds of audio, someone can clone a victim’s voice, call their bank, and potentially get access to … everything. Vocal deepfakes have gotten very good, but so has the technology to fight back. This week on The Indicator we're gonna bring you a special series on the evolving business of crime. In this episode, we hear from the company helping banks beat deepfakes, and we learn about the efforts to protect us all from AI voice fraud. Related episodes:

Fighting AI with AI

Listen · 9:19
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Vice Series: The evolving business of crime

The Indicator

Vice Series: The evolving business of crime

by  ,  Courtney Theophin ,  Jack Corbett ,  , 

Crime doesn’t resemble the old days. A deepfake of your voice can be used to convince a relative you need money. AI bots are capable of colluding in financial markets. There are seemingly countless new strategies of making data breaches more common. This week on The Indicator from Planet Money, we bring you five episodes digging into the evolving business of crime.

Vice Series: The evolving business of crime

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BOARD GAMES 2: Making our prototype
Kenny Malone/NPR

Planet Money

BOARD GAMES 2: Making our prototype

by  ,  ,  , 

It’s here! It’s free to download and playtest! It’s the Planet Money game! (Download here.)

The Planet Money Game: Test our prototype

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