In this episode, a rare piece of good news in prescription drug pricing. Matt and David speak with Antonio Ciaccia, president of 3 Axis Advisors and architect of Ohio’s Medicaid pharmacy overhaul, and Benjamin Jolly, pharmacist and advocate with the American Economic Liberties Project. Together, they unpack how Ohio kicked pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) out of its Medicaid program, saving $140 million in just two years, paying pharmacists fairly, and making it easier for patients to get their medicine.Antonio shares how he uncovered hidden costs and sparked a legislative revolution, while Benjamin explains why this model is spreading to states across the country and the political divide. If you love Organized Money, support us! Donate at OrganizedMoney.fm
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America’s Rare Earth Problem
At the height of Trump’s tariff spree, when he kept ratcheting up taxes on Chinese imports, China struck back by withholding an under-discussed but essential resource: rare earth minerals. These elements are crucial to nearly all modern electronics, vehicles, and weaponry, and play a vital role in high-tech manufacturing. The business world quickly sounded the alarm. Some companies, like General Motors, even slowed or stopped production on certain vehicle models due to the supply bottleneck.Today on the show, Matt and David talk with Alex Jacquez, former Special Assistant to the President for Economic Development and Industrial Strategy under President Biden, now Chief of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, about how China gained such a powerful advantage, and why something so important was largely overlooked for so long. If you love Organized Money, support us! Visit OrganizedMoney.fm to donate.
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How Spotify Monopolized Music
After file-sharing decimated the music industry in the late 1990's, tech platforms, and music publishers spent years finding a profitable solution to the problem of free music. Spotify was the result. For investors and major labels, Spotify was a triumph: it revitalized the business of recorded music, and accommodated a public that had grown used to having instant, on-demand access. But for artists and smaller labels, it has only exacerbated the problem of making a living. Today on the show, Matt and David talk to Liz Pelly, author of the new book Mood Machine: The Rise Of Spotify And The Cost Of The Perfect Playlist, to find out how the dominant platform in music streaming was founded, how its algorithmically driven recommendation system flattens musical taste, and how its "payola-like" activities skirt the regulations that governed terrestrial radio for decades. Support Organized Money by subscribing at OrganizedMoney.fm, it helps keep the show going.
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The Zohran Situation
Zohran Mamdani's triumph in New York City's democratic mayoral primary is sending shockwaves through the political strata: As the populist wing celebrates, establishment Democrats are scrambling to make meaning of his upset, and big-money financiers are holding secret meetings to address "the Zohran situation".On today's episode, Matt and David bring back friend of the show, Zephyr Teachout, to ask how Mamdani did it. Zephyr ran for governor against Cuomo in 2014, and her background as an attorney, professor, and candidate helps us understand what Mamdani's win means for the future of New York City politics, and the party as a whole.
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Can Hollywood Survive?
This week, the film giant Warner Bros. announced plans to split into two separate companies: one for its flagship brand HBO and its growing streaming service, HBO Max; the other for its declining linear TV assets, like CNN and TNT. It’s a sharp reversal—just a few years ago, Warner Bros. merged with Discovery under CEO David Zaslav, forming the very partnership they're now unwinding. Today on the show, Matt and David welcome the editorial director and columnist for The Ankler, Richard Rushfield, to talk through the WB de-merger, the gloomy state of the Hollywood business, and why the industry just can’t seem to get its act together.
Organized Money is a podcast about how the business world really works, and how corporate consolidation and monopolies are dominating every sector of our economy. The series is hosted by writers and journalists Matt Stoller and David Dayen, both thought leaders in the antimonopoly movement. Organized Money is a fresh spin on business reporting, one that goes beyond supply and demand curves or odes to visionary entrepreneurs. Each week Matt and David break down the ways monopolies control everything from the food we eat, to the drugs we take, the way we communicate and even how we date. You’ll hear from workers, business leaders, antitrust lawyers, and policymakers who are on the front lines of the fight for open markets and fair competition.If you care about an economy that is free and open, one not controlled by a handful of corporations, Organized Money is for you. New episodes out every week until the end of the year. Organized Money is a Rock Creek Sound production, from executive producers Ari Saperstein and Ellen Weiss, and senior producer Benjamin Frisch.
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