Why Washing Machines Are Learning to Play the Harp
Appliance makers believe more and better chimes, alerts, and jingles make for happier customers. Are they right?
The Great Land Robbery
The shameful story of how 1 million black families have been ripped from their farms
How Economists’ Faith in Markets Broke America
And what it means for our future
The Stock-Buyback Swindle
American corporations are spending trillions of dollars to repurchase their own stock. The practice is enriching CEOs—at the expense of everyone else.
The Economist Who Would Fix the American Dream
No one has done more to dispel the myth of social mobility than Raj Chetty. But he has a plan to make equality of opportunity a reality.
Trump’s Trade War With China Is Already Changing the World
His tariffs are contributing to a “generational shift” in which companies make their products.
At Work, Expertise Is Falling Out of Favor
These days, it seems, just about all organizations are asking their employees to do more with less. Is that actually a good idea?
The Problem With HR
For 30 years, we’ve trusted human-resources departments to prevent and address workplace sexual harassment. How’s that working out?
Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think
Here’s how to make the most of it.
People Who Pay People to Kill People
The twisted logic behind hiring a hit man
Movie-Prop Cash Is Fooling Cashiers
The strange psychology of why so many people fail to notice obviously counterfeit money
The Peculiar Blindness of Experts
Credentialed authorities are comically bad at predicting the future. But reliable forecasting is possible.
James Holzhauer Explains the Strategy Behind His Jeopardy Winning Streak
There are three things that give the seemingly unstoppable contestant an advantage—and this isn’t the first time he’s succeeded on a game show.
Jeopardy Wasn’t Designed for a Contestant Like James Holzhauer
“James’s performance, I’m sure, is causing grief for an accountant somewhere.”
Stock Picks From Space
Investors are using real-time satellite images to predict retailers’ sales. Is that cheating?
Watch Your Wallet
Why pickpockets love our digitally distracted age
Trump Once Proposed Building a Castle on Madison Avenue
A brief history of the president's unfulfilled architectural dreams
How the Bizarre Economics of Airplanes Raises the Stakes of the Boeing Fallout
Strange things can happen when a business is based on millions of people flying around in $100 million metal boxes that can take a year to build.
Why Urban Millennials Love Uniqlo
Will the rest of America learn to love it too?
Why Americans Don’t Cheat on Their Taxes
The weirdly hopeful story of how the U.S. came to be a leader in tax compliance