About this episode
Hell hath no fury like Elon Musk scorned. Messy breakups grabbed headlines this week, with the strange and storied bromance of Musk and President Donald Trump rather predictably ending in tears (and a series of incendiary social media posts). Musk fired sharp criticisms at the White House-backed tax bill for being fiscally irresponsible. “Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL,” wrote the richest man in the world. Indeed, love and loss dominate this week’s episode of Everybody’s Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. Hosts Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin dive into the so-called big beautiful bill to look at the economic impact Musk is supposedly so worried about, and why America’s love affair with debt could prove the republic’s downfall. The proposed 2017 tax cut extension would add an estimated $2.4 trillion to the country’s almost $37 trillion in debt over the next 10 years. Musk isn’t the only titan of industry having a big week. Taylor Swift recently announced she had taken full control of her music library, marking the end of a years-long battle. “I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening,” she wrote. Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw joins to hash out the long, tortured breakup between Swift and her record label, and how the fight over her rights helped make Swift the superstar she’s become. Finally, it’s time to pour one out for the open tab. Bars are reportedly complaining that young customers aren’t leaving them open like they used to. A number of culprits of this curious behavior are explored, including Gen Z’s alleged struggles with commitment. (If you can’t even commit to handing your credit card to a bartender, how will you ever lock it down with a future partner?). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.