Best Businessandtech Podcasts (2025)

1
Why are we so nostalgic for Y2K? 32:44

Play Pause

10M ago32:44

32:44

Lately, we’re feeling nostalgic for the Y2K era. The glitter-slathered techno-optimism of the millennial moment continues to shape our darker present. Our guest, author Colette Shade, has written a 2000s nostalgia fest. Y2K: How the 2000’s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was) is a memoir and a cultural critique of an optimistic e…

1
The video game company that broke an industry 31:40

10M ago31:40

31:40

Lately, the video games industry is in turmoil. The rise and fall of Blizzard, the trailblazing and toxic studio behind World of Warcraft, shows us why. Our guest, Jason Schreier, is an investigative reporter who covers the video game industry for Bloomberg News. His most recent book is the best-selling Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizz…

1
The singlehood advantage 34:18

11M ago34:18

34:18

Lately, millions of Canadians are unpartnered. Business and tech companies are rushing to meet the needs of the new me-market. For Valentine’s Day, we’re asking: “Is this actually a great time to be single?” Our guest, Yuthika Girme, is the director of SECURE, the Singlehood Experiences and Complexities Underlying Relationships Lab, at Simon Fraser…

1
Yes, your boss is tracking you 32:57

11M ago32:57

32:57

Lately, our bosses are going further than reading our emails. New technologies that can track our motions and our moods are ushering in a new age of workplace surveillance. Is this productivity hacking, or counterproductive micromanagement? Our guest, David Murakami Wood, is the Canada Research Chair in Critical Surveillance and Security Studies an…

1
Influencers in the White House 33:17

11M ago33:17

33:17

Lately, the internet has broken the White House. Influencers and tech CEOs now have unprecedented access to the Trump administration. How will the “broligarchy” change our world? Our guest, Taylor Lorenz, covers the influence of influencers on User Mag, her tech and online culture Substack. The former Washington Post reporter literally wrote the bo…

1
Meet your AI therapist 28:28

11M ago28:28

28:28

Lately, we’re sharing our darkest secrets with robots. The market for AI mental health aides is booming but how does it actually feel to bond with a therapy bot? Our guest, Graham Isador, just started his job as The Globe’s new Healthy Living reporter. Traditional therapy can be expensive and scarce, so Graham turned to AI and found a therapist who…

1
Selling sexy in the age of wellness 34:39

11M ago34:39

34:39

Lately, lingerie behemoth Victoria’s Secret is trying to claw its way back to relevance after a spectacular crash. How did a brand that once defined the culture fail to keep up? Our guests, Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez, tell the story of a retail giant’s rise and fall in their new book Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of a…

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The end of the fixed price 29:04

12M ago29:04

29:04

Lately, we aren’t all getting the same price for the same product. Is the rise of data-driven “personalized pricing” corporate innovation or just next-gen gouging? Our guest, Lindsay Owens, is an economic sociologist and former policy advisor to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. She’s the co-author of “The Age of Recoupment” in The American Prospect’s…

1
Bonus ‘The Decibel’: The behind-the-scenes look at how Rogers took over Toronto sports 23:46

1y ago23:46

23:46

Lately, we’ve been getting the news from The Decibel, the Globe and Mail’s daily news podcast. In this bonus episode, Lately’s sister pod reveals what it took for Rogers to outmaneuver the competition and buy up some of the biggest sports teams in Canada. A colossal business deal recently took place when a set of rivals came to an unexpected agreem…

1
The masculinity industry that shaped the U.S. election 30:57

1y ago30:57

30:57

Professor Timothy Caulfield researches health misinformation, especially when it intersects with celebrity culture. In the new CBC documentary Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Caulfield takes a trip to the “manosphere” and meets the men who buy and sell the promise of masculinity in this growing segment of the $5-trillion wellness market. Caulfiel…

1
Some personal news: LinkedIn is weird now 28:39

1y ago28:39

28:39

Lately, LinkedIn has become cringe... or cool, or more important than ever, depending on who you ask. So, is LinkedIn working well for us, or has it devolved into yet another shouty social media site? Tim Kiladze is a Globe and Mail business reporter, Bay Street veteran and LinkedIn connoisseur. He wrote a compelling report on the evolution of Link…

1
Bonus 'Machines Like Us': Musk, money and misinformation 33:35

1y ago33:35

33:35

A bonus episode from our Globe and Mail sister show Machines Like Us. How is Silicon Valley’s shift to the right affecting the US election? The tech lobby has quietly turned Silicon Valley into the most powerful political operation in America. Pro-crypto donors are now responsible for almost half of all corporate donations this election. Elon Musk …

1
Is that your last cigarette? 31:40

1y ago31:40

31:40

Lately, Big Tobacco says it wants to phase out cigarettes and promote, of all things, healthier options. But can the tobacco industry actually sell wellness? And is this pivot to vapes and pouches a smoking off-ramp or just a one-way ride to nicotine addiction? Award-winning journalist Luc Rinaldi takes us behind the curtain of Big Tobacco’s machin…

1
The rise and rise of private equity 29:24

1y ago29:24

29:24

Companies in Canada are being bought up by private equity at an incredible rate. The list includes Rexall, MEC, Value Village, WestJet and Sleep Country. But it also includes local businesses: vets, dentists, retirement homes and more. Critics say it’s an unchecked shift in the economy that results in negative, often dangerous outcomes – where the …

1
Diary of a wartime CEO 29:14

1y ago29:14

29:14

When Erika Ayers Badan beat out 74 men to become the first CEO of Barstool Sports, the company was small, dominated by brash bros, and indivisible from the controversial reputation of its founder, Dave Portnoy. But she corralled Barstool and turned it into a media empire with a $500-million exit. So where do you go after helming a culture-quaking c…

1
The great decline of everything online 34:00

1y ago34:00

34:00

That creeping feeling that everything online is getting worse has a name: “enshittification,” a term for the slow degradation of our experience on digital platforms. The enshittification cycle is why you now have to wade through slop to find anything useful on Google, and why your charger is different from your BFF’s. According to Cory Doctorow, th…

1
The $300-billion industry where almost nobody makes money 33:39

1y ago33:39

33:39

Tupperware just filed for bankruptcy, but the direct sales model it pioneered lives on. These days, the hustle might be candles, leggings or sex toys. You may be recruited to join via a Facebook friend, who calls it “social selling.” But really, it’s multi–level marketing – a $300–billion industry where the vast majority of salespeople make little …

1
Is self-optimization self-destructive? 32:29

1+ y ago32:29

32:29

Workplace productivity apps like Slack, Notion, and Trello are encroaching on our personal lives. According to a trending article in San Francisco Standard, new apps specifically for couples and families, like Lovewick and Coexist, are gaining traction in Silicon Valley. These tools promise to balance domestic labour by optimizing everything from y…

1
Encore: How online reviews got gamed 31:00

1+ y ago31:00

31:00

Welcome to Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day. In an encore of our very first episode, we tackle the fake review economy: how online reviews got corrupted and if we can ever trust them again. Our guest is Joseph Reagle, an associate professor at Northeastern Un…

1
Encore: The hidden cost of cheap stuff 34:15

1+ y ago34:15

34:15

Shein and Temu have completely disrupted Amazon’s global domination plans by selling clothes and home goods for ultra-cheap prices, if not ultra-fast delivery – but at what cost? Our guest, journalist Louise Matsakis, has covered technology, the internet and China for The Atlantic, Wired, The Guardian and NBC News. She also writes a newsletter abou…

1
Encore: Tracking me, tracking you 37:06

1+ y ago37:06

37:06

Location-sharing apps are growing in popularity, not just among families and Gen Z friend groups but with investors, too. (The tracking app Life360 made its Nasdaq debut earlier this month.) If we're already passively sharing this information with companies almost all the time, why not share it with our loved ones? Our guest, Dr Katina Michael, who…

1
Encore: The millennial economist who took on the world 33:53

1+ y ago33:53

33:53

Was all this inflation really necessary? Our guest, economist Isabella Weber says no. In fact, she’s been saying no since the Omicron variant was a thing. In 2021, at age 33, Weber wrote an article for The Guardian that tied inflation to corporate greed – calling out “an explosion of profits” as a central force in driving up prices. She was vilifie…

1
Encore: The ADHD economy 31:40

1+ y ago31:40

31:40

Everyone knows someone who is on Adderall: ADHD diagnoses are at an all-time high and trending on TikTok. Our guest, Daniel Kolitz, author of The History of Adderall for Pioneer Works, tells us about the rise of the medication, how it’s changed the way we work, and his own experience on and off the drug. Also, Vass and Katrina self-diagnose via som…

1
Feeling the vibecession 27:58

1+ y ago27:58

27:58

If the economy’s so good, why do we feel so bad? 84% of Canadians believe we’re in a recession right now and yet Canada's GDP actually outperformed expectations last year, unemployment is low and wages are increasing. There’s a disconnect between inflation rates and how we feel about inflation rates. Welcome to the vibecession. Our guest, Kyla Scan…

1
Encore: Breaking up with dating apps 28:23

1+ y ago28:23

28:23

We’re taking a little summer break and playing an encore of one of our most popular episodes. It’s about the crash of the online dating industry and what it means for your love life. Even though users are fleeing dating apps – they’re costly, they’re creepy and they’re exhausting – our tech-reliant mating rituals have forever changed us. And if you…

1
The business of good taste 26:37

1+ y ago26:37

26:37

These days the culture we consume – movies, books, songs – is determined by platforms aggregating everyone else’s reviews and ratings. So, what does it mean when you say you like something in the age of quantification? And is there a way to beat the algorithm? Our guest, writer and critic Lauren Oyler, is the author of No Judgment, a recently publi…

1
The dirty laundry of sportswashing 28:13

1+ y ago28:13

28:13

The Paris Olympics are nearly upon us, and one thing is clearer than the Seine: For some countries, sports are the ultimate distraction. Dubious human rights records? Look at our athletes! It’s called sportswashing, an attempt by nations and companies to take the focus off their less-than-stellar practices. Our guest, Globe and Mail reporter Simon …

1
The hidden cost of cheap stuff 34:09

1+ y ago34:09

34:09

Shein and Temu have completely disrupted Amazon’s global domination plans by selling clothes and home goods for ultra-cheap prices, if not ultra-fast delivery – but at what cost? Our guest, journalist Louise Matsakis, has covered technology, the internet and China for The Atlantic, Wired, The Guardian and NBC News. She also writes a newsletter abou…

1
Bonus ‘Stress Test’ Episode: Counting on an inheritance? Not so fast 30:15

1+ y ago30:15

30:15

A bonus episode for Lately listeners, from the team at Stress Test! Just mention the word “inheritance” and people get their backs up. It’s no surprise that people are reluctant to chat about free money. In this episode, host Rob Carrick chats with Julia Chung, a financial planner, about why you shouldn’t factor an inheritance into your financial p…

1
Silicon Valley’s “Gay-I” problem 28:48

1+ y ago28:48

28:48

Everyone loves an AI fail, like a few extra fingers on a generated image. But what happens when the flaws of this nascent technology are much more serious? For the LGBTQ+ community, the stakes are high: Machine-learning models and AI-based tech like facial recognition can promote outdated stereotypes and public discrimination. Our guest, Dr. Sabine…

1
Bonus 'The Decibel' Episode: Why millennial women are so burnt out 22:04

1+ y ago22:04

22:04

A bonus episode for Lately listeners, from the team at The Decibel! Millennial women are feeling burnt out. The responsibilities and pressures of family, work and caregiving are piling up, amidst the lingering fallout of the pandemic and the economic crisis. But what makes this generation’s burnout unique? In conversation with host Menaka Raman-Wil…

1
Tracking me, tracking you 36:59

1+ y ago36:59

36:59

Location-sharing apps are growing in popularity, not just among families and Gen Z friend groups but with investors, too. (The tracking app Life360 made its Nasdaq debut earlier this month.) If we're already passively sharing this information with companies almost all the time, why not share it with our loved ones? Our guest, Dr Katina Michael, who…

1
The summer of music industry mayhem 32:43

1+ y ago32:43

32:43

It’s summer concert season, and you may be paying a fortune to see your favourite artists at home, travelling abroad for cheaper tickets, or forgoing the pricey concert experience altogether. For most musicians, the financial picture is dire. Our guest, author and Polaris Award-winning artist and producer Cadence Weapon – the tech skeptic behind th…

1
The millennial economist who took on the world 33:47

1+ y ago33:47

33:47

Was all this inflation really necessary? Our guest, economist Isabella Weber says no. In fact, she’s been saying no since the Omicron variant was a thing. In 2021, at age 33, Weber wrote an article for The Guardian that tied inflation to corporate greed – calling out “an explosion of profits” as a central force in driving up prices. She was vilifie…

1
Hollywood's climate consultant 27:53

1+ y ago27:53

27:53

Climate anxiety is keeping us all up at night, but you’d never know it from watching a Hollywood blockbuster. Our guest, Anna Jane Joyner, is the founder and CEO of Good Energy, a non-profit that advises filmmakers and showrunners on how to weave in climate narratives – without killing the vibe. She talks about growing up with a climate-denying dad…

1
The ADHD economy 31:34

1+ y ago31:34

31:34

Everyone knows someone who is on Adderall: ADHD diagnoses are at an all-time high and trending on TikTok. Our guest, Daniel Kolitz, author of The History of Adderall for Pioneer Works, tells us about the rise of the medication, how it’s changed the way we work, and his own experience on and off the drug. Also, Vass and Katrina self-diagnose via som…

1
High salary, high expectations, hightail it out of there 32:33

1+ y ago32:33

32:33

Pop culture loves to fetishize the world of high finance, but are the perks and the profile really worth the pain? Our guest, Carrie Sun, author of the new memoir Private Equity, describes her disillusioning journey working at a billion-dollar Wall Street hedge fund. Also, Vass and Katrina talk about what happens when your job doesn’t love you back…

1
Boycotting the Loblawpoly 31:32

1+ y ago31:32

31:32

This month, people across Canada are boycotting Loblaw and its affiliated stores, thanks to momentum from a popular sub-reddit. It’s a sweeping revolt but it isn’t just about sticker shock, bread fixing and Galen Weston’s folksy image. It’s about how your friendly neighbourhood grocer turned into Amazon, and why Canada is struggling to adapt to the…

1
How we became digital serfs 29:11

1+ y ago29:11

29:11

Who profits from our online lives? How is all our clicking and scrolling giving tech companies such unprecedented power and wealth? This isn’t capitalism, argues Yanis Varoufakis: it’s technofeudalism. Maverick economist Varoufakis argues that we’re all serfs now, paying rents to the big tech "cloudalists” (cloud + capitalists). He talks about why …

1
Watch me lose my job 27:01

1+ y ago27:01

27:01

It's playing out across screens everywhere: Employees log into Zoom only to find out they’re being let go, sometimes alongside hundreds of colleagues. And now they're pushing back by posting it all on TikTok. Our guest is Amanda Hoover, a staff writer at Wired.com who recently wrote a story called The Stark Realities of Posting Your Layoff on TikTo…

1
Breaking up with dating apps 28:03

1+ y ago28:03

28:03

Dating apps got costly, creepy, and exhausting. Users are fleeing and the industry is anxious. But how did dating apps change us? And if you haven’t given up on connection, what comes next? Our guest is Marina Adshade, an economist who looks at how the market affects our love lives. She’s the author of Dollars and Sex: How Economics Influences Sex …

1
How online reviews got gamed 31:00

1+ y ago31:00

31:00

Welcome to Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day. In our very first episode, we tackle the fake review economy: how online reviews got corrupted and if we can ever trust them again. Our guest is Joseph Reagle, an associate professor at Northeastern University and …