Crafting Markets: History and Policy

Spurred on by Trump, Covid, and climate change, leaders are taking a more hands-on approach to shaping markets that would be seen as impossible a few years ago—but as our guest today argues, this kind of marketcraft is actually a long American tradition. Today, Matt and David welcome Chris Hughes, one of Facebook's founders, to the show to talk about his new book Marketcrafters. The book demolishes the myth that government and the free market were ever truly separate entities and examines the oft-forgotten stories of how policymakers on both sides of the aisle have used their power to craft markets to both good and bad ends.

This week also marks the beginning of the FTC's trial against Meta, an action Chris called for back in 2019 in The New York Times. We get Chris's take on the trial, plus a dispatch from Matt, who has been watching the proceedings go down at the courthouse. 

To learn about Chris's new book Marketcrafters, check out his Substack: https://chrishughes749530.substack.com

Read Chris's 2019 op-ed calling for Facebook to be broken up: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/opinion/sunday/chris-hughes-facebook-zuckerberg.html