Kai Ryssdal

Host and Senior Editor

Kai is the host and senior editor of “Marketplace,” the most widely heard program on business and the economy — radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting — in the country. Kai speaks regularly with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, startup entrepreneurs, small-business owners and everyday participants in the American and global economies. Before his career in broadcasting, Kai served in the United States Navy and United States Foreign Service. He’s a graduate of Emory University and Georgetown University. Kai lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children.

Latest from Kai Ryssdal

Aug 12, 2009
If you wrote to us, this could be you
Kai Ryssdal gets listener feedback about our coverage of the Cash for Clunkers program, our story on DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) couples and our feature on the back-to-school plaid fad.
Read MoreDownload
Aug 11, 2009
Companies rethinking the supply chain
As shipping costs and pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions rise, companies are looking for ways to make their supply chains shorter and save money. Kai Ryssdal talks to Craig Carter of the Journal of Supply Chain Management.
Read MoreDownload
Aug 11, 2009
Why Clinton is visiting Angola now
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be tying up her trip to Africa with a stop over in Angola, which hasn't peaked on our radar since the end of its decades-long civil war. Kai Ryssdal talks to The Eurasia Group's Jonas Horner.
Read MoreDownload
Aug 5, 2009
As RV industry tanks, so does Elkhart
Elkhart, Ind. is largely dependent on sales and manufacturing of RVs. Needless to say its an industry not faring well in this recession. Kai Ryssdal talks with dime-store owner Mac McNally of Elkhart about Obama's visit and the economic straits of the Midwestern city.
Read MoreDownload
Aug 4, 2009
The pros and cons of required 401Ks
President Obama is considering a plan that would require companies to open up and contribute to 401ks for their employees. Kai Ryssdal talks with Duke professor and behavioral economist Dan Ariely about why Americans have such a hard time saving money.
Read MoreDownload
Jul 29, 2009
Congress crams on health-care reform
House Democrats are being schooled on health-care reform in advance of their summer recess. After all, lawmakers have to be able to answer questions back home. Kai Ryssdal talks with Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post about Congressional summer school.
Read MoreDownload
Jul 24, 2009
Cost of digital media so cheap it’s free
Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, and author of "Free: the Future of a Radical Price," talks to Kai Ryssdal about pros and cons of giving away media online for free. His critics say it's killing print media, but Anderson shares his rebuttal.
Read MoreDownload
Jul 23, 2009
Taxpayers and the health care debate
The health-care-reform conversation, so far, has been more about monetary policy than medicine. So what's in it for consumers and taxpayers? The New York Times' David Leonhardt talks with Kai Ryssdal about the economics behind reform.
Read More
Jul 21, 2009
High oil prices are good for U.S. culture
Fluctuating gas prices haven't caused too much change in the way we view energy. But if gas prices rise to $6, $10, or $12 per gallon, author Chris Steiner says the effects would change everything from the way we drive to how we shop.
Read MoreDownload
Jul 21, 2009
Subprime lenders return as loan fixers
Companies that made millions in subprime loans are now selling loan modifications to some of the same borrowers, who are now at risk of losing their homes. Kai Ryssdal talks with The New York Times' Peter S. Goodman about how the brokers are doing business.
Read MoreDownload