Big Take

The online shopping app Phia raised over $43 million and captured media attention for its A-list investors and its high-profile co-founders — Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, and her college roommate and podcast co-host Sophia Kianni.
But Bloomberg reporting suggests that Phia was pushing features that took credit for sales it didn’t drive. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg technology editor Olivia Solon shares her reporting on Phia and what the startup’s founders may have known about those features.
Read more:
Gates Heir’s Shopping App Claimed Sales It Didn’t Drive
Phoebe Gates Knew Phia Shopping App Took Credit for Sales It Didn’t Drive
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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Olivia Solon.
Fact-checking by Victor Swezey and Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Engineering by Alex Sugiura and Emma Munger.
Senior Producer and Editor: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s move to prop up the yen was as surprising as its impact was fleeting. By Monday, the yen lost half of its gains since last month’s intervention, raising questions about what comes next.
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Daniel Flatley and Chris Anstey join David Gura to break down Bessent’s unorthodox currency strategy and to explore how far Bessent might be willing to go to support another country’s currency.
Read more:
How Bessent Brings a ‘Buy-Side’ Mindset to Economic Statecraft
Behind Bessent Moves, Wall Street Sees a Bond-Market Angst
Listen More:
Why a Weak Yen Is America’s Problem
Carry Trades, Explained
Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Laura Newcombe and David Fox; Reported by Daniel Flatley and Chris Anstey; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.
Fact-checking by Victor Swezey and Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Engineering by Emma Munger.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oh, the things you can find with an inquisitive mind – and a metal detector.

Today we’re bringing you Chapter 1 of Our Town, a limited-run series from The Big Take, hosted by Meribah Knight with Bloomberg’s Susan Berfield. The series tells the story of a battle over identity fought on small town soil, where acreage, heritage, and what it means to be an American are all up for grabs.
The limited-run series will publish on Fridays in The Big Take. We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.
Hosted by Meribah Knight with Susan Berfield Produced by: Rebecca Laks with Julia Weaver and David Fox and help from Laura Newcombe Edited by: Ken Armstrong with Rebecca Laks Original Score and Mixing by: Alex Sugiura Fact-checking by: Annika Robbins Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer
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Situational Awareness, a hedge fund run by a 24-year-old hailed as “Nostradamus of AI”, swelled to $45 billion in assets until a mix of highly leveraged bets, short sellers and a market swoon threw it into crisis.
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Katherine Burton and Hema Parmar join Sarah Holder to discuss how risky bets led the fund to the brink and whether the episode speaks to broader vulnerabilities among hedge funds investing in AI.
Read more:
The 24-Hour Race to Salvage Situational Awareness’ AI Bets
Bloomberg Opinion: Hedge Fund’s 439% Return Should Have Been the Warning
Situational Awareness Returns to Investing With $400 Million Bet
Listen to Money Stuff Podcast: No Kiddie Pool
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.
Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Katherine Burton and Hema Parmar; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott. Fact-checking by Victor Swezey and Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Sean Carter. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
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When new neighbors move into Gainesboro, Tennessee, a small town at the foothills of Appalachia, locals are confused. Who are these self-proclaimed pioneers? And what do they want with their little town?

Locals soon discover the new arrivals are connected to something much larger: A network of far-right Christians who have ties to Washington and are backed by venture capital.

This is a story about a battle over identity fought on small town soil with small town spunk. Where acreage, heritage, and what it means to be an American are all up for grabs. Episode 1 will be available to Big Take listeners Friday, August 7.
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