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Daniel Shin

Producer

Daniel helps produce the daily “Marketplace Tech” show and podcast, and he’s interested in tech policy and ethics.

Latest from Daniel Shin

  • May 28, 2021

    Companies keep overpromising about AI

    The insurance company Lemonade has users submit a selfie video when submitting a claim. This week, the company said that it was able to crack down on fraud using AI that picked up on non-verbal cues in those videos. The trouble is that a lot of AI experts say the technology is nowhere near good enough to do that.
    Jesús Alvarado/Marketplace

    The insurance company Lemonade talked about its use of artificial intelligence on Twitter this week. It ended up backtracking on its claims.

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  • May 27, 2021

    How one Seattle business is reclaiming the narrative around Native art

    "What we have learned during the pandemic is that we can be confident in consumers' interest in doing the right thing," said Louie Gong, founder and CEO of Eighth Generation.
    Courtesy of Ken Yu/Eighth Generation

    Eighth Generation is a retailer that had to close its Seattle store early in the pandemic but blossomed online. It features wool blankets and other items produced by Native artists. Also, more signs of recovery in new data on orders for long-lasting goods and weekly unemployment aid claims. And, bank profits were up nearly 30% in the first quarter this year, but the same report finds lending fell, driven by a drop in credit card balances. We take a closer look at how consumers are spending.

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  • May 27, 2021

    The little engine that did … shake up the Exxon boardroom

    The activist hedge fund Engine No. 1 yesterday won enough support from other shareholders to get at least two seats on the board of the oil company Exxon Mobil.
    Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

    Activist hedge fund Engine No. 1, pushing for a change in Exxon Mobil’s climate strategy, got enough support from other shareholders to win at least two seats on the oil and gas company’s board. These types of challenges from activist investors tend not to get far. Plus, for the first time since President Joe Biden took office, the top trade representatives from the U.S. and China are talking. And, a study on the need for better, higher-paying jobs for young women as the pandemic recession recovery continues.

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  • May 27, 2021

    Iran bans cryptocurrency mining for 4 months after blackouts

    A visual representation of the digital cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.
    Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting that the main cause of the blackouts was a drought that had affected hydroelectric power generation. But he also said that cryptocurrency mining, 85% of which is unlicensed, was draining more than 2 gigawatts from the grid each day.

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  • May 27, 2021

    Amazon’s business dominance is a many-tentacled thing

    Standard Oil's monopoly was often depicted as an octopus, its tentacles infiltrating all aspects of American life. Law professor Rebecca Allensworth says Big Tech companies are like octopuses — "every tentacle is a new set of products."
    Wikimedia Commons

    The tech giant announced Wednesday it is acquiring MGM, home of James Bond and Rocky.

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  • May 26, 2021

    Are Amazon prices fair or not?

    Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a press conference on Sept. 6, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.
    David McNew/Getty Images

    The District of Columbia is suing Amazon for allegedly fixing online prices at the expense of consumers. Plus, evidence that investors are seemingly less worried about inflation this week — at least so far. And, a new health care challenge is brewing: The part of Medicare that covers hospitalizations, hospice and skilled nursing is projected to become insolvent sooner than expected.

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  • May 26, 2021

    COVID unemployment is causing a serious funding issue for Medicare

    The pandemic recession has pushed so many people out of work that funding for Medicare Part A, via payroll taxes, is down.
    FG Trade via Getty Images

    Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund is projected to become insolvent sooner than expected — within three to five years.

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  • May 26, 2021

    Rosie the Riveter and Uncle Sam encourage service members to get the COVID vaccine

    Spc. Lorrin Rice, 35 weeks pregnant, waiting to get vaccinated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
    Blake Farmer/WPLN News

    We visit the airfield hangar at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for a look at how military leaders are trying to convince soldiers to get vaccinated. Plus, the CEOs of big banks are testifying in Congress this week. We preview what they’ll be talking about. And, with more people out and about, the beauty market is rebounding.

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  • May 26, 2021

    U.K. considers blocking stock listings on national security grounds

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak wants more foreign firms to list in the U.K., but faces pressure to ensure it happens safely.
    Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Companies could be blocked from listing on the London Stock Exchange on national security grounds, under new rules being considered by the U.K. Treasury.

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  • May 26, 2021

    The Apple-Epic antitrust case was a spectator sport

    The legal arguments between Epic and Apple wound down this week in a federal courtroom in Oakland. It’ll be weeks or months before we get a ruling from the judge.
    Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

    The trial revealed details about the companies’ businesses, including that Apple thinks the level of malware on its Mac operating system is unacceptable.

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