Chicago Booth Review Podcast

The business media is obsessed with founders, particularly of fast-growing tech companies. But should more Americans be starting companies? Chicago Booth’s Eric Zwick and his coauthors have documented big disparities in entrepreneurship rates across different demographic groups. So who’s left out of startup America, and how can we help these “missing entrepreneurs”?

In February, Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, said its opinion section would focus on contributions that support “personal liberties and free markets” and would not run any opinions that oppose those two values. In response, Chicago Booth’s Luigi Zingales called for opinion writers to boycott the publication. What does Zingales think the episode tells us about media coverage in the age of Trump? To follow the Stigler Center's 2025 Antitrust and Competition Conference, visit https://www.chicagobooth.edu/research/stigler/events/2025-antitrust

Who is the face of capitalism? And how has that face changed over time? In this bonus episode, John Paul Rollert, our In-House Ethicist, Rollert analyzes some of the characters who have represented capitalism over time in the popular imagination, revealing how many people perceive the economic system. He charts the evolution of capitalism’s protagonists from the hardworking professional lauded by Adam Smith to the tech founders of Silicon Valley. So who will be the next face of capitalism? https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/ihe-podcast#sort=%40articledate%20descending

Salary negotiations are difficult. Many of us hate talking about money, particularly with a potential employer. So what can you do to make sure you arrive at a fair wage? Chicago Booth’s George Wu says the trick to a successful salary conversation is to prepare, give yourself options, and don’t celebrate too soon.

Lisa Stefanik, an expert in interpersonal dynamics at Chicago Booth, dives into the essential nature of workplace conflict. She explains how avoiding confrontation can lead to echo chambers, stifling innovation. Instead, conflict can serve as a valuable tool for better decision-making and collaboration. Stefanik emphasizes the need for open communication and accountability in corporate structures, advocating for discomfort as a pathway to constructive dialogue. By embracing tension, teams can strengthen their relationships and improve organizational outcomes.

Anders Humlum, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business, explores why women are utilizing generative AI less than men. He discusses the productivity implications of this gender gap and the necessary training to bridge it. The conversation also highlights demographic differences in AI adoption, the role of generative AI in various occupations, and how businesses can support equitable access to these tools. Humlum raises critical questions about who will truly benefit from the AI revolution.

What shapes a society’s culture? Chicago Booth’s Thomas Talhelm links the abundance of water in a region to its attitude to the future. His research finds that people who live in areas where water is plentiful tend to live more in the moment, whereas those who live where water is scarce tend to plan more for the longer term. Climate change will result in big changes to water access in the coming decades. So what effect could that have on culture?

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken a sledgehammer to Washington, closing government agencies and leaving many federal employees unsure if they still have jobs. Will that really make government more effective? Chicago Booth’s Rob Gertner says DOGE may end up creating a less effective and less efficient federal government. Rather than smashing things up, he advises focusing on incentives, funding and management. So how could we structure things to make government agencies worth their funding?

President Trump has accused the Federal Reserve of causing and failing to stop inflation. Instead, Trump says he will take care of the issue by producing more energy and boosting US manufacturing. Will the next four years see a confrontation between the Fed and the White House? We ask Chicago Booth’s Randy Kroszner—a former member of both the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and the board of the Federal Reserve—if the Fed and the White House are on a collision course.

Eric Zwick, a Chicago Booth professor specializing in tax policy, discusses the potential expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. He delves into whether tax cuts truly yield the promised economic benefits and the uneven effects on different income groups. Zwick analyzes the balance between government spending and the national debt, the historical performance of recent tax reforms, and the ideological clash over tax policy. He also explores future proposals for tax cuts and their implications on inflation and government revenue.