Economics, culture, and tech made legible.
The gist
Make Me Smart connects economic headlines to everyday questions about work, technology, culture, taxes, climate, and global influence. Its tone is informed but loose, with interviews that can move from data centers and AI labor shifts to sake tariffs or solarpunk optimism.
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About Make Me Smart
Make Me Smart is a Marketplace conversation show for listeners who want economic and cultural machinery made legible. Its subjects are broad, but the throughline is consistent: what forces are shaping work, money, technology, policy, and daily life right now. Recent episodes spend serious time with artificial intelligence, asking how companies use it, how workers may feel its effects, and why early adoption is concentrated in wealthier places. The show also gets concrete. Seattle’s tech sector leads into a discussion of data centers, hydropower, rural tax revenue, and local pushback. Anthropic’s research becomes a way to talk about global productivity, rich-country advantage, and the possibility that AI could widen or narrow opportunity. Tax day becomes an opening to examine how the ultrarich structure wealth differently from wage earners. A live Marketplace episode brings macroeconomic anxiety, stagflation worries, civic dysfunction, and financialized culture onto a stage with a looser rhythm. The range is wider than a standard business briefing. Solarpunk appears as a way to resist climate fatalism and imagine futures where environmental and social justice are linked. Artemis II and NASA budget fights become a story about public science, private space companies, and the altered landscape of spaceflight. Sake, soju, BTS, Korean media, beauty standards, tariffs, and diaspora representation all become economic stories without losing their cultural texture. The show’s best moments come from that elasticity. It can move from a practical question about import costs to a bigger question about how taste, identity, technology, and policy travel. The pacing is conversational and accessible, with guests explaining specialized subjects in plain language. It is not a hot-take show. It is more useful than that. Make Me Smart gives curious listeners a way to keep up with complicated systems while still hearing the uncertainty, friction, and odd details that make the news feel real.
Made for: For curious news listeners who want economic context behind technology, politics, culture, climate, and work. It suits people who prefer conversational explanation over headline churn.
What sets it apart: Make Me Smart stretches Marketplace’s economic lens across unexpected subjects, from solarpunk fiction and sake retail to Korean culture and private spaceflight. The result is a business-news show that treats culture as evidence, not a side note.
In their own words
Each weekday, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams makes today make sense along with her Marketplace colleagues, breaking down happenings in tech, the economy, and culture. Because none of us is as smart as all of us.
As heard by us
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
It connects economic headlines to the institutions, incentives, and local tradeoffs that determine how those stories land.
Make Me Smart treats economics as the connective tissue between public policy and everyday consequences. Kimberly Adams usually builds an episode around a focused interview, moving from the immediate news to the incentives and constraints underneath it.
Why you'd press play
Like happy hour with consequences: Kimberly Adams gets you from Artemis to AI layoffs without losing the plot.
Press play if you want
- the economic stakes behind headlines about Greenland, Artemis, and AI jobs
- experts pushed beyond easy answers on tech power, European leverage, and private spaceflight
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Episodes
- 1
The infrastructure side of the AI boom
·28m - 2
Rejecting climate doomerism with solarpunk
·14m - 3
Who can stop insider trading on prediction markets?
·18m - 4
How to start the caregiving conversation
·25m - 5
Can we fix America’s long-term care system?
·21m - 6
The "invisible workforce" of family caregivers
·21m - 7
ICE and the “wide, deep, and ever-growing” surveillance state
·17m - 8
Make Me Smart: Lunar Edition
·26m - 9
One wild year of Trump's tariffs
·18m - 10
Inside the "Super Bowl of energy”
·15m - 11
Make Me Smart about the business of sake
·27m - 12
The humanitarian risks of a fertilizer shock
·15m - 13
The super PAC spending flooding the primaries
·14m - 14
The economics behind the rise of BTS and Korean culture
·33m - 15
Who gets to set limits on AI?
·17m - 16
How the farm bill became the everything bill
·16m - 17
Can Hollywood make a comeback?
·22m - 18
The economic ripple effects of ICE in Minnesota
·14m - 19
The ski industry squeeze
·16m - 20
The big money in the Texas primaries
·20m - 21
The Trump administration scrapped the endangerment finding. Now what?
·15m - 22
The U.S., Iran, and the rise of drone warfare
·16m - 23
Make Me Smart: Vermont Edition
·16m - 24
Kai returns to unpack Trump's new tariff
·21m - 25
Sled hockey's Declan Farmer makes us smart about the Winter Paralympics
·13m - 26
The view from cattle country
·21m - 27
Congress set aside $50 billion to transform rural health care. Will it work?
·19m - 28
Medical providers grapple with Trump's attempts to end gender-affirming care for minors
·19m - 29
Can AI bots help us find love?
·17m - 30
The power of reading and writing as self-care
·24m - 31
From "This Is Uncomfortabe": Help! My coworker wants a copy of my house key!
·24m - 32
What do American families really care about right now?
·17m - 33
The political cloud hanging over the Fed
·16m - 34
Make Me Smart about Olympic figure skating
·25m - 35
What does the end of TPS mean for Haitian workers in the U.S.?
·19m - 36
Trump’s rift with Europe
·24m - 37
"Marketplace" Live
·1h 13m - 38
What is media capture?
·19m - 39
The changes coming to federal student loans in 2026
·19m - 40
On the ground in Minnesota
·22m - 41
It's brutal out here (in the job market)
·16m - 42
Trump vs. the courts
·18m - 43
New year, new mayor, New York
·29m - 44
Venezuela and Trump's new Monroe Doctrine
·23m - 45
Feeding the Family
·53m - 46
The road to rebuilding, one year after the LA wildfires
·25m - 47
From "This Is Uncomfortable": Wait, I think I’m being underpaid
·26m - 48
From "This Is Uncomfortable": "You'll never be ready to buy a home"
·38m - 49
Cheers to hosting better parties this holiday season (rerun)
·24m - 50
"Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" and anime's biggest year yet
·13m - 51
The music industry vs. AI (rerun)
·19m - 52
Your thoughts on the economy in 2025
·19m - 53
Floridians feel the impacts of climate change
·25m - 54
Why the Fed cut interest rates
·16m - 55
Deep-sea mining: The next frontier for critical minerals
·18m - 56
Shopping through a K-shaped holiday season
·28m - 57
Is the U.S. a gerontocracy?
·19m - 58
From "Million Bazillion": What is Black Friday?
·32m - 59
From "How We Survive": The Dry Line
·34m - 60
How prediction markets are transforming sports betting
·19m - 61
Cheers to hosting better parties this holiday season
·23m - 62
The COP without the U.S.
·16m - 63
Are we on the cusp of another big health care debate?
·21m - 64
What’s happening in Vegas?
·29m - 65
An unbalancing of power
·21m - 66
The rise of the "solo economy"
·23m - 67
From "How We Survive": The Death of ESG
·34m - 68
How rising energy costs factored into Virginia's elections
·26m - 69
Quantum computing: What's all the hype about?
·19m - 70
Friends, foes, and tariffs
·20m - 71
How to face your financial fears
·29m - 72
How can we build a more resilient labor market?
·25m - 73
The shutdown continues
·15m - 74
From "How We Survive": The Uncanny Valley of Meat
·33m - 75
Chicago vs. ICE
·30m - 76
How can our food systems become more sustainable?
·23m - 77
From "How We Survive": Food Tour of the Future
·30m - 78
Make Me Smart: St. Louis Edition
·30m - 79
This labor market is ripe for job scams
·14m - 80
When the government shuts down, tribal communities get the shaft
·14m - 81
Dealing with credit card or medical debt? Here's how to handle it.
·21m - 82
An economic vocab lesson for the Trump era
·11m - 83
The politicization of the National Guard
·18m - 84
Is craft beer's popularity going flat?
·26m - 85
Another budget breakdown. Why are we like this?
·22m - 86
Checking the pulse of the Las Vegas economy
·18m - 87
From "How We Survive": The climate crisis is an economic crisis
·51m - 88
Make Me Smart: Fat Bear Week Edition
·26m - 89
The music industry vs. AI
·19m - 90
What happened to American soft power?
·21m - 91
The aftermath of the Hyundai plant raid
·32m - 92
Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the troubling rise in Black women's unemployment
·13m - 93
The "little treat" economy
·17m - 94
Who has the power of the purse these days?
·23m - 95
The rise of political violence in America
·21m - 96
The future of education research in limbo
·17m - 97
From "How We Survive": ESG, Reincarnated
·23m - 98
From "Million Bazillion": Why does organic food cost more than non-organic food?
·29m - 99
The human story behind a digital time capsule
David Ewald discusses the creation and impact of Forbes' email time capsule project from 2005, which allowed people to send messages to their future selves.
·21m - 100
From "This Is Uncomfortable": In America, cultural education doesn't come cheap
A journalist discusses the financial and emotional decision to send his children to Islamic school to preserve their cultural heritage.
·32m - 101
Seattle's tech industry blues
Make Me Smart host Kimberly Adams interviews Monica Nicholsburg of KUOW about Seattle’s tech layoffs, AI-driven workforce reductions, and the changing local economy.
Apr 17, 2026·20m·1 clip - 102
Anthropic’s head of economics answers our questions about AI and the job market
Anthropic's head of economics discusses AI's impact on the job market, addressing concerns about job loss and the unique perspective AI companies have on tool usage.
Apr 16, 2026·18m·1 clip - 103
Here’s how the ultrarich avoid paying taxes
Kimberly Adams interviews law professor Ray Madoff about how the ultrarich use a tax avoidance playbook to pay relatively little in taxes, perpetuating wealth inequality.
Apr 14, 2026·18m - 104
"Marketplace" Live
Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal convened a live audience show in Los Angeles, interviewing economics educator Kyla Scanlon and then Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio, who is transitioning off the program after 23 years in Marketplace's host chairs.
Apr 11, 2026·1h 13m·4 clips - 105
Rejecting climate doomerism with solarpunk
Kimberly Adams interviews Phoebe Wagner about solarpunk, a genre that imagines positive futures in the face of environmental collapse, emphasizing the link between environmental and social justice.
Apr 10, 2026·14m - 106
Who can stop insider trading on prediction markets?
Apr 9, 2026·18m - 107
ICE and the “wide, deep, and ever-growing” surveillance state
Apr 7, 2026·17m - 108
Make Me Smart: Lunar Edition
Make Me Smart host Kimberly Adams interviews Eric Berger, senior space editor at Ars Technica and author of 'Liftoff' about SpaceX, on the occasion of the Artemis II launch — the first crewed mission to lunar vicinity in over 50 years.
Apr 3, 2026·26m·1 clip - 109
One wild year of Trump's tariffs
Apr 2, 2026·18m - 110
Inside the "Super Bowl of energy”
Mar 31, 2026·15m - 111
Make Me Smart about the business of sake
Make Me Smart host Kimberly Adams speaks with Reiko Haride, founder of DC Sake, about sake’s business and brewing culture.
Mar 27, 2026·27m·2 clips - 112
The humanitarian risks of a fertilizer shock
Mar 26, 2026·15m - 113
The super PAC spending flooding the primaries
Mar 24, 2026·14m - 114
The economics behind the rise of BTS and Korean culture
Make Me Smart turns to Michelle Cho, a researcher of East Asian pop cultures at the University of Toronto, to ask how BTS and Korean culture became a global economic story.
Mar 20, 2026·33m·3 clips - 115
Who gets to set limits on AI?
Mar 19, 2026·17m - 116
How the farm bill became the everything bill
Mar 17, 2026·16m - 117
Can Hollywood make a comeback?
Mar 13, 2026·22m - 118
The economic ripple effects of ICE in Minnesota
Mar 12, 2026·14m - 119
The ski industry squeeze
Mar 10, 2026·16m - 120
The big money in the Texas primaries
Mar 6, 2026·20m - 121
The Trump administration scrapped the endangerment finding. Now what?
Mar 5, 2026·15m - 122
The U.S., Iran, and the rise of drone warfare
Mar 3, 2026·16m - 123
Make Me Smart: Vermont Edition
Feb 27, 2026·16m - 124
Kai returns to unpack Trump's new tariff
Feb 26, 2026·21m - 125
Sled hockey's Declan Farmer makes us smart about the Winter Paralympics
Feb 24, 2026·13m - 126
The view from cattle country
Feb 20, 2026·21m - 127
Congress set aside $50 billion to transform rural health care. Will it work?
Feb 19, 2026·19m - 128
Medical providers grapple with Trump's attempts to end gender-affirming care for minors
Feb 17, 2026·19m - 129
From "This Is Uncomfortable": In America, cultural education doesn't come cheap
Feb 13, 2026·32m - 130
Can AI bots help us find love?
Feb 12, 2026·17m - 131
The power of reading and writing as self-care
Feb 10, 2026·24m - 132
From "This Is Uncomfortabe": Help! My coworker wants a copy of my house key!
Feb 6, 2026·24m - 133
What do American families really care about right now?
Feb 5, 2026·17m - 134
The political cloud hanging over the Fed
Feb 3, 2026·16m - 135
Make Me Smart about Olympic figure skating
Jan 30, 2026·25m - 136
What does the end of TPS mean for Haitian workers in the U.S.?
Jan 29, 2026·19m - 137
Trump’s rift with Europe
Make Me Smart's 'Trump's rift with Europe' follows Kimberly Adams and Paola Tama as they unpack Donald Trump's Greenland threats at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Jan 27, 2026·24m·1 clip - 138
The infrastructure side of the AI boom
Jan 23, 2026·28m - 139
What is media capture?
Jan 22, 2026·19m - 140
The changes coming to federal student loans in 2026
Jan 20, 2026·19m - 141
On the ground in Minnesota
Jan 16, 2026·22m - 142
It's brutal out here (in the job market)
Jan 15, 2026·16m - 143
Trump vs. the courts
Jan 13, 2026·18m - 144
New year, new mayor, New York
Jan 9, 2026·29m - 145
Venezuela and Trump's new Monroe Doctrine
Jan 8, 2026·23m - 146
The road to rebuilding, one year after the LA wildfires
Jan 6, 2026·25m - 147
From "This Is Uncomfortable": Wait, I think I’m being underpaid
Jan 2, 2026·26m - 148
From "This Is Uncomfortable": "You'll never be ready to buy a home"
A newlywed couple navigates the emotional and financial challenges of buying a home in Seattle, revealing how the housing market can turn a practical decision into a conflict over values and risk.
Jan 1, 2026·38m - 149
Cheers to hosting better parties this holiday season (rerun)
Kimberly Adams and food writer Casey Alsace discuss tips for hosting better holiday parties without breaking the bank.
Dec 30, 2025·24m - 150
"Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" and anime's biggest year yet
Dec 26, 2025·13m