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

Nov 21, 2007
Listeners comment on ‘Consumed’
Our week-long series on the sustainability of the consumer economy drew a number of responses, particularly to our interview of Jared Diamond, our coverage of Wal-Mart's green initiatives, and our look at the history of Crisco.
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Nov 20, 2007
How do they analyze holiday sales?
Most analyst estimates for this year's holiday retail sales are for about a 4% increase over last year. But how do they know? Marshall Cohen, the chief analyst at the market research firm NPD Group, explains to Kai Ryssdal.
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Nov 17, 2007
Week on Wall Street
Stockbroker and business analyst David Johnson talks with Kai Ryssdal about what happened on Wall Street this week and what may lie ahead.
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Nov 16, 2007
Can Wal-Mart save the world?
Retail powerhouse Wal-Mart has been taking great pains to improve its image by adopting environmental standards across all of its stores. Kai Ryssdal talks to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott.
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Nov 15, 2007
Are United and Delta talking merger?
Rumors of a merger between Delta and United were reported today, but Delta CEO Richard Anderson issued a statement denying the whole thing. Before that hit the wires, Kai Ryssdal talked with Julius Maldutis of the consulting firm Aviation Dynamics.
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Nov 14, 2007
Public solutions or private enterprise?
Can the profit motive solve our energy problems? Management professor Stuart Hart of Cornell University, and physics professor emeritus Marty Hoffert of New York University consider that question with host Kai Ryssdal.
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Nov 13, 2007
Europe faces urgency over currency
Europe has its own Ben Bernanke. Jean-Claude Trichet oversees the European Central Bank. Kai Ryssdal talks to Marketplace's Stephen Beard in London about the pressures facing the ECB's president.
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Nov 12, 2007
A marketing battle of wants vs. needs
Global consumer spending has skyrocketed in the past two decades. But is advertising to blame? Do we all simply want more stuff, or do we need it for our high-speed modern lifestyles? It's a little of both, says marketing expert Kit Yarrow.
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Nov 10, 2007
Feeding America’s consumer appetite
Kai Ryssdal begins our series with a visit to the Port of Long Beach. You could say it's the mouth of a consumer economy that's getting hungrier and hungrier. He talks with the port's Art Wong about its continuing growth.
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Nov 9, 2007
How much longer can we ‘overshoot’?
Our population is consuming about 30% more trees, fish and fossil fuels than the planet can regenerate. How big a hole can we dig before we can't get out of it? Kai Ryssdal talks with Jared Diamond, a geography professor at UCLA.
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