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

Jul 13, 2007
Afghans’ opium harvest in full swing
Afghanistan's opium poppy crop is said to generate over $3 billion, more than half its GDP. And evidence is mounting that the money is funding the Taliban and government corruption. The New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson went there and tells what he discovered.
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Jul 11, 2007
New robot’s a real stunner
Taser and iRobot have announced an alliance to build a robot that comes equipped with a Taser. The companies plan to sell the robot for use in prisons or combat. Kai Ryssdal talked with John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org about the new product.
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Jul 11, 2007
You found the link that says ‘Contact’
. . . And you gave us your thoughts on our reports about Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Hooters in New England, Chinese-made toys and, er, our bad grammar.
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Jul 7, 2007
Week on Wall Street
Stockbroker and business analyst David Johnson discusses with host Kai Ryssdal what happened on Wall Street this week and what may lie ahead.
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Jul 7, 2007
Mark Twain: Author, investor, inventor
Samuel Langhorn Clemens, otherwise known as famed author Mark Twain, was also a tireless businessman. He made and lost a pile of money inventing and investing. In a new book, Peter Krass says it's clear where Twain's heart really was.
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Jul 6, 2007
Tour rides on, but under doping cloud
The Tour de France begins Saturday, still reeling from charges of illegal doping by big-name riders. Diana Nyad discusses with Kai Ryssdal what those charges might mean for fans and broadcasters.
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Jul 6, 2007
Reliable rumors or insider trading?
Some unusual stock-market activity reportedly occured before the announcement of Blackstone's purchase of Hilton Hotels. Kai Ryssdal talks with business professor Jim Angel about how some people snap up shares at a bargain, despite insider-trading laws.
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Jun 26, 2007
Environmental cloud hangs over China
Though China is attractive to multinational investors on many levels, serious environmental problems loom. Kai Ryssdal talks to Elizabeth Economy, who wrote about the situation for the Harvard Business Review.
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Jun 26, 2007
Running Rite Aid
Rite Aid's Mary Sammons has faced her share of challenges since joining the company. In Part 2 of our interview, Kai Ryssdal spoke to the CEO about the early days.
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Jun 25, 2007
Keeping it personal
Rite Aid's recent acquisition of 2,000 Brooks and Eckerd drugstores puts it in striking distance of rivals Walgreens and CVS. Kai Ryssdal sat down with CEO Mary Sammons to discuss the challenges of integrating all those stores.
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