America first means doubling down on Europe | The Economist

2026-02-26

Elon Musk thinks the future of AI might not be on Earth at all—but in orbit.

On the latest episode of Inside Tech, Tom Standage and Alex Hern explore how orbital data centres would work, whether the numbers add up, and why this once outlandish concept is suddenly being taken seriously.

#elonmusk #spacex #xai #aiinfrastructure #datacenters #spacetech #technews #futureofai

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4cSR9vY
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2026-02-19

Why do so many of the world’s international mercenaries hail from Colombia? The Economist’s news editor, Carla Subirana Artús, and co-host of The Intelligence podcast, Rosie Blau discuss why Colombia’s soldiers are in such high demand around the world and what the diplomatic consequences are.

00:48 – Why are there so many mercenaries from Colombia?
02:37 – Why do former Colombian soldiers continue this dangerous work?
03:57 – How is the Colombian government responding?
05:02 – Will the global mercenary market continue to grow?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/46LRWLr
Why so many Colombians fight in foreign wars: https://econ.st/3OP61BA
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2026-02-18

Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, isn’t worried about Europe’s military heft. As some European officials panic about Donald Trump’s erratic approach to foreign policy, he calls for cool heads. Mr Stubb explains to The Economist’s geopolitics editor, David Rennie, why Europe can defend itself without America.

#europe #usa #finland

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2026-02-14

Can you hedge against an AI bubble? Joshua Roberts, The Economist’s capital markets correspondent, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss why AI spending is making investors nervous, the lessons learned from the dot com boom and what strategies might help investors manage risk.

00:00 – Why Is investor confidence in AI wobbling?
00:31 – What’s making stock markets jittery about AI?
01:33 – What can investors do to avoid getting stuck?
02:48 – How should investors hedge risk?
04:43 – What’s the safest strategy?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4tFtKV2
How to hedge a bubble, AI edition:https://econ.st/3ZwwzKh
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2026-02-09

Are minimum wages too high? Henry Curr, The Economist’s economics editor, argues that high pay floors can have damaging economic consequences and that governments should pursue more effective policies to reduce poverty.
#theeconomist #politics #economy

2026-01-08

It flies in the face of most financial advice but Josh Roberts, our capital markets correspondent, highlights some unexpected advantages of investing closer to home.

#theeconomist #finance #investing #stockmarket #stocks #shares

2025-11-05

Trillions of dollars are being poured into artificial intelligence. How does this compare to the booms (or bubbles) of the past? Our deputy editor, Tom Standage and our AI writer, Alex Hern ask whether investors’ big bet might make sense.

Chapters:
00:00 – Why is investment not slowing?
01:09 – Is just one company going to win?
02:51 – Will the AI bubble burst?
03:07 – What will be left if the boom goes bust?
06:18 – The role of open source models

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/3LKmxRP

What to expect if the AI stockmarket blows up: https://econ.st/3WIF8Aa

The battle of AI business models: https://econ.st/4nHFceB

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2025-11-03

China’s generous local subsidies have helped it dominate high-tech industries such as electric vehicles and solar panels. But they’ve also helped fuel an oversupply of the same goods and a vicious price war. This new phenomenon of “involution” is damaging the country’s economy, as The Economist’s China economics editor, Simon Cox, explains.