Big Take

Treating cancer is a massive business. In 2024 alone, cancer treatments generated at least $200 billion in worldwide sales for the pharmaceutical industry, more than the obesity drug rush. But a Bloomberg News analysis showed that fewer than half of treatments reviewed — some of which have painful side effects — have been shown to extend patients’ lives. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior healthcare reporter Robert Langreth takes host David Gura inside what some doctors call the “cancer-industrial complex” — from the regulatory landscape that ushered in a wave of lucrative new drugs to the damaging financial and health impacts some treatments can have on patients. Read more: Cancer Drugs Cost More Than Ever. They Often Don’t Extend Lives. The Implants Were Supposed to Dissolve. They Didn’t. Pharma Is Pushing $200,000 Cancer Drugs When Cheaper Doses May Work Cancer Doctors Are Making a Fortune Off Drug-Trial Participants One Generic Cancer Drug Costs $35. Or $134. Or $13,000.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, but this year’s storms exposed something far uglier: a vast corruption scandal. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Andreo Calonzo and Rosalind Mathieson about how billions of dollars earmarked for flood control vanished and what the crisis means for the country’s political and economic stability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All year, the jobs market, consumer sentiment, AI and inflation flashed warning signs about the economy — but 2025 managed to avoid a recession. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder talks with Bloomberg’s Stacey Vanek Smith and Moody’s Analytics Mark Zandi to understand what this year’s wonky economy can tell us as we head into 2026 and what to watch for in the new year. Read more: US Recession Risk Is Receding as We Move Into 2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mustafa Suleyman co-founded AI lab DeepMind when he was just 26 years old. Four years later, it was acquired by Google for a reported $400 million. He is now head of Microsoft’s AI unit, where he just unveiled a new superintelligence team tasked with creating an AI that can outperform humans at all tasks.In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Suleyman talks about the decisions society has to make about AI, the white-hot war over tech talent and the competition with other tech bros. 00:00 - Introduction from Mishal Husain02:20 - Suleyman’s daily use of AI04:52 - Stoicism and the magic of AI05:50 - Defining superintelligence07:35 - The AI Wild West09:20 - Humans misusing technology11:43 - Promise of abundance, universal basic income14:30 - Suleyman’s family and decision to drop out of Oxford19:37 - "Decisions we make may have very lasting consequences”21:04 - Exploring the ‘broligarchy’22:28 - His view of Sam Altman and Open AI24:11 - Conversations with Demis Hassabis about Gemini 326:15 - “I’m sort of a centrist these days”28:09 - AI containment and the role of government 29:58 - Microsoft’s revised deal with OpenAI: “It is a shift for us”31:42 -The talent war and ‘Zuck’s’ pay packages34:12 - Circular deals in AI: “Watching it carefully”36:22 - “I really want to nail medical superintelligence”37:36 - Suleyman on using AI for emotional support40:21 - The UK lacks the “hustle culture” of Silicon Valley42:13 - AI news reporters: “We’re exploring everything” Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Depending on who you talk to, AI is the key to remaking industries and jobs – or a bubble ripe to pop. And if you’re an investor, you’re already exposed. So what’s the best strategy for investing in AI now? On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg personal finance reporter Suzanne Woolley talk to experts – ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood, Fidelity International’s Taosha Wang, Allspring Global Investments’ Michael Smith and Janus Henderson Investors’ Denny Fish – about coming AI investment waves and potential warning signs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.