Series - The Quartz Obsession Podcast

Season 8

Sleep: The dreamiest new industry

Strollers: Pushing the limits of childrearing cache

Airline credit cards: The high-flying loyalty game

F1: The global race to the future

EV Chargers: The geographic forces driving electric vehicle adoption

Drug Names: The machinations behind the monikers

Season 7

The algorithm: Letters of recommendation

The making of the recommendation formulas that influence what we stream, shop, and see online today.

Video game remakes: Revival of the fittest

The games you loved once? Get ready to spend money on them a second time.

Green steel: Structural change

What if we changed not just the materials we used to make things, but the way we make our materials?

VR headsets: We’re practically there

Virtual reality has always been a future-tech promise, but today’s applications are more practical than you might expect

Smart rings: Digital digits

Data-collecting, payment-making tech, wrapped around your finger. Is it worth it?

Tail lights: Smart signals

Those simple lights on the back of your car are one of the most important technological innovations in automaking history — and they’re not finished yet.

Season 6

Synthetic Memories: Generating the past

Streaming music: Tracking success

Season 5

Algorithmic hiring: We’re only human

What is it like going through the job search process without ever interacting with a real person?

Public tech bank: A newer deal

In the wake of SVB's collapse, this episode imagines another option for the US government in financing tech innovation.

Online voting: Yes or no

Estonia pioneered online voting in its elections almost two decades ago. Could the US replicate its success?

Single-use plastics: The message in a bottle

Single-use plastics are a problem, but why is it often the duty of consumers to do something about it?

AI hallucinations: Turn on, tune in, beep boop

Chatbots aren't always right. Researchers call these faulty performances "hallucinations."

Superapps: There can be only one

Despite antitrust scrutiny, the dream of building a superapp in the US persists.

Smart homes: Built to crash

We fill our houses with the Internet of Things, but the technology leaves much to be desired.

The World’s Fair: Tech’s bygone showcase

World's Fairs provided a glimpse into new inventions and technologies from across the globe.

Season 4

Credit score: Numbers might lie

In a global economy that runs on debt, the credit score system works... until it doesn't

Mushroom leather: Fungi saves fashion

Mycelium leather could be the greenest solution to a big problem for the planet

The invisible hand: Capitalism's misunderstood metaphor

Adam Smith, the legendary 18th century Scottish philosopher, coined the usage of this economics term

Your chart: A body of information

Epic, the maker of MyChart, is the keeper of health records for 200 million Americans

Earth observation: Taking the long view

Inside the most impactful industry to launch into space over the past decade

Firetech: A match for Silicon Valley

Inside the startups focused on developing technology to control and prevent fires

Green burials: Leave no trace

Inside the industry devoted to handling death in an ecologically sustainable way

Fusion power: Don't overreact

This new source of energy could revolutionize our approach to consumption and climate change

Season 3

Asynchronous, on-demand talk radio was a bold proposition back in 2004, when podcasts first started making waves. Less than 20 years later, podcasting is a big business. But monetization has its downsides: What began as a freewheeling, do-it-yourself space is evolving into a data-obsessed sector dominated by tech giants.

Inflation: The price isn’t right

Prices for goods, from furniture to meat, have been steadily rising for months. It’s the most obvious symptom of inflation, which is when money buys less than it used to. But there’s no need to panic: This is far from the first time inflation has come for consumers’ purchasing power. The question is, how do you make it stop?

Perfume: The strangest supply chain

Shipping snafus have hit everything from Pelotons to paper towels, and they’re also coming for perfume. From Chanel No. 5’s secret recipe to the modern proliferation of DIY scents, this global industry has supply chains as delicate as the scents captured in its tiny bottles. How does perfume adapt to a changing world?

Dyslexia: Thinking differently

Though scientists first identified dyslexia over a century ago, politicians, parents, and educators still struggle to teach students that suffer from it. In the English-speaking world, dyslexia has become a great unequalizer, pushing those with means into lucrative careers, and those without to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. But as technology mediates and alters how we read, it could level the economic playing field.

Replacement rate: Counting our chickens

2.1—that’s how many children every woman “needs to have.” Any fewer, and a country’s population will eventually stop growing, age, and shrink, which could inhibit its economic growth and drain government coffers. But it’s easier said than done: China has been well below replacement rate for some time; India is just hitting that number. What happens to the world when 2.1 stops being a guarantee?

Pasta: A global staple

Pasta’s path to pantries all over the world is inextricably tied to Italy, the country that used technology and mass production to turn a homemade food into a commercial product. Even as pasta-makers market an idealized version of the Italian lifestyle to the world and to Italians themselves, some of the things that make pasta the taste of home might be due for a rethink.

National debt: Acceptable imbalance

As individuals, we know it’s not great to have too much debt. But at the macro level, that narrative falls apart. In fact, most governments need some debt to take care of their people, especially in the wake of a crisis like a pandemic. How a country invests in itself—and how its leaders talk about that investment—says a lot about how it sees its future.

Edible bugs: The original superfood

Between lab-grown meat and veganism going mainstream, we’re in an age of abundance for alternative protein options. But one hasn’t been getting as much attention as the others: Edible insects, popular in places like Ghana and Mexico, are nutritious, plentiful, and much less damaging to the environment than, say, a steak. What would it take to put insects in more kitchens around the world?

Season 2

Sequels: Here we go again

After the release of a great film, it seems natural to us now that they’d want to make another. But this was not always the case. Now that Hollywood seems to almost compulsively turn successful films into franchises, reboots, and cinematic universes, are there good reasons to keep making sequels?

Prosthetics: Upgrade available

Athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics had prosthetics perfectly designed to help them run, jump, or swim as the events required. Now the technology behind those prosthetics is coming to everyday people who need it—and, possibly, to people who don’t. Augmenting able bodies for super-human functions: What could go wrong?

Disco: Choosing joy

They tried to kill disco, but it will never die. The stubbornly upbeat genre came out of an economically turbulent moment—one to which we see a lot of parallels today. So what is it about a crisis that just makes us want to dance?

Fish sticks: The ocean’s little problem solvers

Fish sticks are more than just an easy way to get kids to eat healthy food. They’re the ocean’s little problem solvers, swimming in to solve a seafood glut after World War II, and to help working parents in need of cheap and easy meals. Now fish sticks might even help solve our latest challenge: an epidemic of global overfishing.

Indian weddings: The priciest party of your life

It’s the stuff of Bollywood dreams, come to life—the big fat Indian wedding has withstood the test of time, economic turbulence, social reform, and even modern technology. But when you factor in pent-up pandemic demand, can India’s $50 billion industry possibly keep it up?

Google docs: Life in the cloud

Google docs have revolutionized the way we work, and now it even functions as a tool for social sharing and political dissent. This is all because the world shifted from saving files locally to storing them in the cloud. But has Google docs made us too comfortable with life in the cloud?

Egg freezing: Put it on ice

As more people aren’t sure whether or when to have kids, a growing number of them are turning to egg freezing, a relatively new and expensive procedure that could help women become parents outside their biological bounds. But how realistic is any promise of parenthood entirely on your terms?

Puffer jackets: The price of staying warm

Puffer jackets have been worn by outdoorsmen, rappers, the military, luxury shoppers, and—eventually—everyone. Today, the market is still heating up.

Season 1

Six Sigma: Manufacturing perfection

In the early 2000s, GE was the world’s most powerful company, and its CEO Jack Welch was a firm believer in the Six Sigma system for eliminating errors in manufacturing. With GE as its poster child, management consultants spread the gospel of Six Sigma to companies everywhere. Now, as GE’s fortunes diminished, so has interest in Six Sigma. But what made this system so special in the first place, and how much is still useful today?

Office chairs: Engineered for extreme sitting

Japanese whisky: One steep sip

Rare earths: Scarcity at your fingertips

Kudzu: We’ve made a big mistake

Business class: Luxury in the sky

Bigger seat, more legroom, even silk pajamas: Flying business class comes with major perks for travelers. It’s also crucial to the entire airline business model. But given the seats’ outsized carbon footprint, how ethical is it to keep flying business class?

Quartz Obsession

Season 8

Sleep: The dreamiest new industry

Strollers: Pushing the limits of childrearing cache

Airline credit cards: The high-flying loyalty game

F1: The global race to the future

EV Chargers: The geographic forces driving electric vehicle adoption

Drug Names: The machinations behind the monikers

Season 7

The algorithm: Letters of recommendation

Video game remakes: Revival of the fittest

Green steel: Structural change

VR headsets: We’re practically there

Smart rings: Digital digits

Tail lights: Smart signals

Season 6

Synthetic Memories: Generating the past

Drive-thrus: Fastest food

Pro Tools: Making waves

Streaming music: Tracking success

Seaweed: It’s always greener

GPTs: AI for you and me

Season 5

Algorithmic hiring: We’re only human

Public tech bank: A newer deal

Online voting: Yes or no

Single-use plastics: The message in a bottle

AI hallucinations: Turn on, tune in, beep boop

Superapps: There can be only one

Smart homes: Built to crash

The World’s Fair: Tech’s bygone showcase

Season 4

Credit score: Numbers might lie

Mushroom leather: Fungi saves fashion

The invisible hand: Capitalism's misunderstood metaphor

Your chart: A body of information

Earth observation: Taking the long view

Firetech: A match for Silicon Valley

Green burials: Leave no trace

Fusion power: Don't overreact

Season 3

Podcasts: Let’s get meta

Inflation: The price isn’t right

Perfume: The strangest supply chain

Dyslexia: Thinking differently

Replacement rate: Counting our chickens

Pasta: A global staple

National debt: Acceptable imbalance

Edible bugs: The original superfood

Season 2

Sequels: Here we go again

Prosthetics: Upgrade available

Disco: Choosing joy

Fish sticks: The ocean’s little problem solvers

Indian weddings: The priciest party of your life

Google docs: Life in the cloud

Egg freezing: Put it on ice

Puffer jackets: The price of staying warm

Season 1

Six Sigma: Manufacturing perfection

Office chairs: Engineered for extreme sitting

Japanese whisky: One steep sip

Rare earths: Scarcity at your fingertips

Kudzu: We’ve made a big mistake

Business class: Luxury in the sky

Oat milk: Don’t call it creamy

Business class: Luxury in the sky

Afrobeats: A global sound

CAPTCHA: Made you look