The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway Kai Ryssdal on Why the Economy Isn’t as Strong as It Looks
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Feb 19, 2026 
Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace host and public radio reporter, brings front-line economic reporting. He unpacks mixed signals in the labor market. He questions the AI boom and traces how tariffs are nudging up prices. He also tackles widening income inequality and the future of public media.
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Split Economy: Markets Up, Labor Uneasy
- The economy is a mixed bag: corporate profits and markets are strong while labor markets show deep uncertainty.
- Kai Ryssdal calls it a "low hire, low fire" period where low quit rates signal fear, not stability.
AI: Real Future, Hype Now
- AI is a real future force but currently overhyped and partially a spending bubble.
- Ryssdal warns white-collar workers to prepare but says AI isn't yet at scale to destroy most jobs today.
Tariffs Are Working Through Prices
- Tariffs from prior policy are now cascading into consumer prices as firms stop absorbing costs.
- Ryssdal expects further high-single-digit price increases and renewed inflationary pressure.