Jobs IRLDecoding DemocracyA Warmer WorldI've Always Wondered ...

Loading...

0:00
0% played

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)

When driverless cars are attacked, who's the target?

by Matt Levin
Feb 12, 2024
Some observers think they are a proxy for Big Tech.
Robotaxis clogging traffic and being involved in high-profile accidents might stir resentment toward self-driving vehicles. But they might also be a symbol of Big Tech.
AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

What's going on with China's stock market?

by Matt Levin
Feb 6, 2024
Since 2021, China’s stock markets have lost about $7 trillion in value, which has implications for the global economy.
China's President Xi Jinping is reportedly considering government interventions to cushion China's falling stocks. Above, men walk outside the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

The economy and ethics of AI training data

by Matt Levin
Jan 31, 2024
Many artificial intelligence tools were trained on freely-available digital content. That might be legal, but is it ethical?
By publishing something on the internet without explicitly telling other computers to avoid it, you're consenting to its use by AI, says Common Crawl's Rich Skrenta.
Outflow Designs/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Why are middle managers so unhappy?

by Matt Levin
Jan 23, 2024
According to a new Gallup analysis, only 1 in 3 American workers say they are engaged with their job, and less than half say they know what is expected of them at work. And apparently the most bummed out are middle managers, who report more burnout and work-life balance issues.
Remote work has made it more difficult for managers and their subordinates to understand their roles and feel recognized for their work.
AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Why are investments in ESG funds falling?

by Matt Levin
Jan 19, 2024
Morningstar found that 2023 was the first year investors pulled more money out of ESG and sustainability funds than they put into them.
Until recently, investors were pouring money into ESG and sustainability funds, according to Alyssa Stankiewicz of Morningstar.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

What financial advisers are saying about the new bitcoin ETFs

by Matt Levin
Jan 17, 2024
Exchange-traded funds are basically an easy way to invest in bitcoin from one's brokerage account. The SEC approved the bitcoin EFTs last week.
The new ETF will make investing in bitcoin easier. But financial advisers aren't sold on the risk factor.
Photo illustration by Chesnot/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Lending by nonbanks is now a trillion-dollar business

by Matt Levin
Jan 16, 2024
Small and medium-size businesses are increasingly getting loans from nonbank entities like hedge funds or private equity firms.
Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

How California plans to solve its large budget deficit

by Matt Levin
Jan 12, 2024
It's not the only state with a problem.
Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom released a plan to offset a nearly $38 billion budget deficit.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

The U.S. November trade deficit was $63B, but that's not the important thing

by Matt Levin
Jan 9, 2024
Trade deficit numbers get a lot of attention in election years. Here are some things to know about the nuance behind the numbers.
"Counterintuitively, an expanding trade deficit is typically associated with stronger economic growth in the United States," says Scott Lincicome with the Cato Institute.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Microsoft is adding a dedicated AI key to its keyboards

by Matt Levin
Jan 4, 2024
The key will launch Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant program. But whether users will take to it is an open question.
On Thursday, Microsoft announced that it would be adding an AI key to PC keyboards. With just one tap, the key opens up Microsoft Copilot, the company’s AI helper.
Courtesy Microsoft
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE