This Week in Business

AI safety concerns are no longer just hypothetical. As AI systems become increasingly capable, the risks involving cybersecurity, biosecurity and unintended behavior are becoming harder to ignore.

Kevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School, explains the different categories of AI risk and why companies alone may not be able to manage them. Werbach argues that governments need to establish...

Competition can bring out the best in individuals, but can it actually make an entire team worse? New research suggests that rivalry may come with an unexpected cost.

Henning Piezunka, Associate Professor of Management at the Wharton School, joins the show to discuss his research examining rivalry and performance through the lens of professional basketball.

Using examples like Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant v...

Prediction markets are exploding beyond elections into sports, geopolitics and major cultural events. But as these markets grow, so does the challenge of detecting insider trading and manipulation.

Daniel Taylor, Wharton Finance Professor and Director of the Forensic Analytics Lab, explains how prediction markets have evolved and why their different types of contracts require different approaches to surveillance. The conversatio...

The economy remains strong, but inflation and higher energy prices could keep the Federal Reserve on alert.

Jeremy Siegel, Wharton Emeritus Professor of Finance, discusses the Fed's latest rate increase and why additional hikes may still be ahead. He explores strong GDP and wage data, the effect of rising oil and diesel prices on inflation, and what the bond market is signaling about monetary policy.

Siegel also examines U.S....

Retailers face a fundamental problem: they often have to bet on what consumers will want before they actually buy it. Could changing who takes that risk transform the industry?

John Zhang, Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, explains why the traditional merchant model puts so much risk on retailers and how the store in store model changes that equation.

Zhang discusses how manufacturers can take ownership of invento...

 AI was supposed to eliminate huge numbers of jobs. So far, the reality looks much more complicated.

Peter Cappelli, Wharton Professor of Management, discusses new research on how AI is actually affecting the workplace and why the technology is changing tasks more than eliminating entire jobs.

The conversation explores AI agents, workplace management, programmers, organizational change, data management and why some of AI...

Consumer bankruptcies are rising, but does that mean Americans are facing a worsening economy? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

Sasha Indarte, Wharton Associate Professor, joins the show to explain what is driving the increase in personal bankruptcies and why today's numbers may actually represent a return toward more normal levels.

She discusses the stigma and misconceptions surrounding bankruptcy, the im...

What happens when one of the world’s busiest fire departments faces a catastrophe unlike anything it has experienced before?

Gregory P. Shea, Wharton Adjunct Professor of Management, and Author of Rising from Ground Zero, examines how the FDNY responded to the unprecedented challenges of 9/11.

Shea explains how the department transformed its psychological support, leadership training, incident management, and collaborat...

Shared bikes and scooters have transformed how people move through cities, but can the business model actually work?

Gad Allon, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, explores the economics behind companies like Lime, including subscriptions, pay per trip models, utilization, and the challenges of operating across different cities.

Allon also explains why cities have embraced and restricted scooters, how ...

The AI boom could transform the economy, but who is financing it and where the risks are building may matter just as much as the technology itself.

Joao Gomes, Wharton Professor of Finance and Senior Vice Dean of Research, Centers, and Academic Initiatives, argues that the Federal Reserve is too focused on inflation and not focused enough on financial stability.

Gomes discusses the opaque role of private credit, lessons from ...

We often think of competition and collaboration as opposites. But in reality, we frequently do both at the same time.

Henning Piezunka, Wharton Associate Professor of Management, explains why competing with someone can fundamentally change how we view and work with them.

Piezunka uses World Cup soccer to examine what happens when teammates become opponents, finding that players collaborated less after competing against one anoth...

What do rising bond yields, new tariffs and soaring AI investment mean for the U.S. economy and financial markets?

Wharton Emeritus Professor of Finance and WisdomTree Senior Economist Jeremy Siegel joins the conversation to assess the latest economic and market developments.

Siegel discusses the impact of higher tariffs on Canada and Mexico, why rising Treasury yields are signaling concern about U.S. deficits, and why he believe...

The bond market is sending a warning to the Federal Reserve. With long-term yields climbing to levels not seen in decades, questions are mounting about the Fed’s ability to control inflation while maintaining market confidence.

Wharton Finance Professor Nikolai Roussanov explains why Kevin Warsh’s recent messaging has unsettled investors and why the Fed’s reaction function may matter more than its guidance...

What happens when the systems designed to keep our food safe start to break down?

Corinne Low, Wharton Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, argues that food safety is a public good—one that individuals and families simply can't provide for themselves.

She explains how reduced staffing, weakened inspections and changes to disease surveillance can leave consumers more vulnerable to foodborne illnes...

AI is advancing rapidly—but who is responsible when the risks become too big to ignore?

Peter Conti-Brown, Professor at the Wharton School, explores whether the banking system offers a useful model for supervising powerful AI companies.

Rather than relying solely on rules written years in advance, bank supervision involves ongoing conversations between public officials and private institutions to identify and manage emergin...

Why are more young Americans turning to entrepreneurship, and what role will AI play?

Lori Rosenkopf, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship at the Wharton School, explores how Gen Z’s shifting expectations, a tougher entry-level job market, and the desire for flexibility are reshaping career paths. She also examines how AI tools are making it easier to turn ideas into products while intensifying competition, and what venture capit...

As AI becomes more powerful, who should be responsible for governing it?

Kevin Werbach, Wharton Professor and Chair of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, explores the growing challenges of AI governance, from accountability and safety to the difficulty of creating effective regulations across countries. He explains why AI companies can't be expected to regulate themselves and why governments need to play a more constructive role...

What happens to your 401(k) if the stock market drops 25%, and would the government step in to help?

Nikolai Roussanov, finance professor at the Wharton School, explains the real risks behind modern retirement investing and why volatility is built into the system.

From the 1987 crash to COVID-19, he breaks down how markets recover, why long term investors tend to win, and why bailouts are more likely to support companies, not ind...

Artificial intelligence is reshaping work, but human ideas remain essential.

Henning Piezunka, Associate Professor of Management at the Wharton School, explains how organizations can combine AI with collective intelligence to accelerate innovation, improve learning, and help employees turn ideas into action.

He also explores AI’s role as a substitute, collaborator, and training tool, along with the business case for ad...