Marketplace Tech®

The United Nations released a major climate change report last week that said we have to cut emissions even more than we previously thought to avoid catastrophe from global warming. And we have to do it more quickly. Those who doubt that humans can cut emissions enough might point to engineering solutions like carbon capture to take carbon pollution out of the air and store it. But is new technology, on its own, a real fix? Marketplace’s Jed Kim talks with Scott Waldman, a climate change reporter for E&E News. (10/19/18)

Blockchain. It's the buzzword in startups. The digital transaction technology backs cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin, that we hear so much about. But business plans abound to give every industry a blockchain makeover, from real estate to drug prescriptions. And companies focused on sustainability see a particular opportunity to verify every step a product takes on the blockchain. Jayson Berryhill is doing that for seafood. Marketplace’s Jed Kim sat down to talk with him about a new project called Fishcoin. (10/18/18)

Each year, Marketplace partners up with polling firm Edison Research to ask Americans how they’re feeling about the economy. This year, Edison found that 78 percent of Americans believe big tech companies like Amazon, Apple or Google have a "good amount" or "great deal" of influence on the economy. What's surprising is that fewer Americans, about 68 percent, think the president or Congress has that much influence over the economy. Molly Wood talks about the findings with Larry Rosin, co-founder and president of Edison Research. (10/17/18)

DNA and genetic testing are big business. But there are real questions about privacy and about what happens to your genetic information after you get tested. Recently, the DNA testing company 23andMe partnered with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline to develop personalized drugs and research treatment for diseases like lupus and Parkinson's. Jen King is director of consumer privacy at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School. King told Marketplace Tech's Molly Wood that, surprisingly, most people who take DNA tests don't think the data is all that personal. (10/16/18)

Silicon Valley loves a charismatic founder story. But there's a difference between vision and leadership and … narcissism. And new research shows that narcissistic CEOs are bad for business. Jennifer Chatman, a professor of management at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business who has researched the tech industry, found that narcissistic CEOs tend to pay themselves more and pay their executives less. They get involved in more lawsuits because they take more risks than they need to. And they tend to hire people more because of their loyalty than their skills or judgment. Molly Wood asks Chatman if the myth of the genius founder means a lot more narcissists in tech. (10/15/18)