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Matt Levin

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Matt covers AI for Marketplace, where he tries to be as polite as he can to every chatbot he meets … because, well, he’s seen sci-fi movies. Matt also covers some crypto and housing, with a taste for stories that make you say: "huh, that's kinda weird.”

Before joining Marketplace Matt was a data and housing reporter for CalMatters, focused on California politics and policy. Before that he was a statistics jockey for a think tank, focused on poverty and inequality. And long before that Matt was a really terrible teenage cashier for Toys R Us.

Matt’s previous honors include awards from the Online News Association and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and SPJ awards.

Latest Stories (301)

Here's what to look for in the latest consumer price index

by Matt Levin
Feb 13, 2023
CPI looked like it was heading in the right direction — that of lower inflation — at the end of 2022. Is that trend going to continue?
While goods may be getting cheaper, prices for services like hotels and rental cars are still getting pricier.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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As search engines race to incorporate ChatGPT technology, where does that leave digital advertisers?

by Matt Levin
Feb 7, 2023
Microsoft's latest version of Bing includes answers generated by ChatGPT tech. Here's what that could mean for sponsored links and content publishers.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty
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What happens when your streaming show gets "disappeared"?

by Matt Levin
Feb 6, 2023
Dozens of original shows and films have been erased from streaming platforms. Some companies can receive tax breaks by nixing content.
The cast of the HBO Max series "Gordita Chronicles" in June. Despite positive reviews, the show was canceled and eventually removed from the streaming platform.
JC Olivera/Getty Images
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Without the range and the rumble, Harley-Davidson finds e-motorcycles a hard sell

by Matt Levin
Feb 3, 2023
The company's global shipments were up 18% in the fourth quarter. But revenue at LiveWire, its electric motorcycle business, was down 28%.
True Harley lovers find the LiveWire too quiet. "They want it to make that noise when they’re coming down the road,” says Casey Harrold, marketing manager at the Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson dealership in Raleigh, North Carolina.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images
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How fast-food chains are buffeted and buoyed by inflation

by Matt Levin
Feb 2, 2023
Many have higher expenses and are raising prices, but more consumers now have a taste for their relatively inexpensive meals.
Sales at fast-food chain Subway surged last year. But it’s by no means boom times for the industry.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Rents are way up. How are landlords picking the price?

by Matt Levin
Jan 25, 2023
The national median rent has risen over 20% since 2020, according to Apartment List. And the use of pricing algorithms used by some of the nation's biggest corporate landlords might be playing a role.
While smaller landlords still usually look at comparable units for determining prices, bigger corporate landlords use algorithms.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Senate committee takes on Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift ticket debacle

by Matt Levin
Jan 24, 2023
Expect questions about Taylor Swift.
The company is under scrutiny following last year's debacle involving problems with Taylor Swift tickets.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
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Helium's been rising — in price — and it's bringing businesses down

by Matt Levin
Jan 19, 2023
High helium prices, driven by shortages, played a role in Party City's bankruptcy. Here's what it means for businesses that rely on balloons.
Party City recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with the high cost of helium partly to blame.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Young adults are driving a boom in household growth

by Matt Levin
Jan 18, 2023
A growing proportion of the housing market is being taken over by millennials, according to new data.
The housing market is becoming increasingly flush with younger buyers, many of them millennials, according to new housing data.
Getty Images
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Red Texas is flush, blue California has a deficit, but it's more about economics than politics

by Matt Levin
Jan 11, 2023
Fewer tech millionaires were minted in 2022, hurting California's bottom line, while in Texas, the oil and gas industry boomed.
"Because [California is] a heavy tech economy, it means tech has a disproportionate impact on the state’s revenues," said Chris Hoene at the California Budget & Policy Center. 
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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