Is Business Broken?

Is the Gig Economy Changing the Rules of Work?

More than 70 million Americans now do some form of freelance or gig work. For many, the appeal is flexibility: the freedom to choose when, where, and how much to work. Bu

Is Employee Surveillance a Productivity Solution, or a Trust Problem?

In the age of remote and hybrid work, one question has taken on new urgency: how do you measure productivity when you can’t see it?  From AI-powered engineering dashboar

Beyond Corporate Sustainability: Can the Free Market Be Environmentally Responsible?

We've watched companies wrap themselves in green branding, issue elaborate corporate sustainability reports, and promise a future where capitalism and conservation march

Beyond Corporate Sustainability: When Did Sustainability Become Sustainability Inc?

Individual companies don't operate in a vacuum. They're part of industries, supply chains, financial markets, and a much larger system. So in this bigger picture, how did

Beyond Corporate Sustainability: Can Corporations Solve Climate Change?

In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report confirming what many scientists already knew:  that human activities are driving rapid, intensif

What transforms an idea into an economy?

Where does innovation begin? What are the critical factors driving innovation today and tomorrow? And what happens when federal funding gets shaky, the IPO market stalls,

Does the Future of Sustainability Lie in the Shipping Industry?

Ocean shipping carries close to 90% of global trade, and it accounts for about 3% of global emissions. The International Maritime Organization has set ambitious targets t

Can Private Equity Be a Force for Good?

We are living through a massive migration of wealth. More and more capital is leaving public markets and flowing into private equity. There's even a growing push to let e

Vote for "Is Business Broken?" in the Webby Awards!

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Business category! We couldn't be prouder of all of our listeners who helped make this pos

How is AI Changing Your Relationship With Your Doctor?

AI is already making its way into healthcare, from helping doctors write notes to interpreting medical images and managing growing amounts of patient data. As one of the

How is Generative AI Reshaping Hollywood?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving into Hollywood, from visual effects and editing to script development and production workflows. In the realms of creative indust

Would You Trust a Self-Driving Car?

Self-driving cars are logging millions of miles in a growing number of U.S. cities. Waymo now wants to test its newest robotaxis on Boston’s narrow streets, rotaries, and

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran on Tariffs, Inflation, and Deregulation

 In recent years, the Federal Reserve has faced down enormous economic challenges: rising inflation, new trade policies, a pandemic, and a weaker labor market. So how muc

Are Boardrooms Ready for the New Geopolitical Reality?

Today's episode tackles a challenge facing boardrooms right now: the intersection of geopolitics and corporate governance. For decades, companies followed a playbook buil

What Does Antitrust Mean in 2025?

At its core, antitrust is about reining in concentrated power. But in a world where digital platforms shape our choices and markets evolve, the boundaries of competition

Why Should We Care About Corporate Governance?

How might corporate governance shape business decisions, trust, and society at large? In this special student-hosted episode of Is Business Broken?, BU Questrom Undergrad

Why Don't Restaurants Steal Recipes?

Today, we're diving into a fascinating corner of self-regulation—one that doesn't rely on formal rules or legal protections, but instead on norms. In industries like fash

When Does Self Regulation Become Collusion?

Last week's show introduced self-regulation, the practice of businesses, setting their own guardrails without government, but what are the limits to private actors polici

What Happens When Business Regulates Itself?

What happens when business regulates itself, without government? Enter self regulation. Host Curt Nickisch speaks to BU Questrom Professors Andy King and Tim Simcoe about

Vote for "Is Business Broken?" in the Signal Awards!

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Signal Award in the Business category! We couldn't be more proud of all of our listeners who helped make this