Big Take

Meta’s new Twitter-like social media platform called Threads is signing up users at a record pace. But will it last–and will it be a “Twitter killer”? Bloomberg Businessweek writer Max Chafkin is...skeptical. He says that after years of explosive growth, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are facing big challenges. Many longtime users are spending less time each day scrolling through their feeds. Max joins this episode to talk about why people are putting down their phones and choosing to spend more time IRL.

Read more: Threads, Twitter and the No-Attention Economy

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As China seeks to grow its economy and increase its global influence, it’s lending billions of dollars to help governments around the world fund big, expensive projects that otherwise would be out of reach. In Asia, Africa–and, notably, in Latin America, next door to the US.

That money could pay off politically, too, in the ongoing rivalry between Washington and Beijing. For a look at China’s global projects–and what its leaders hope to accomplish with them–Rebecca Choong Wilkins joins this episode. She’s a Bloomberg government reporter based in Hong Kong.

We then talk with Jonathan Gilbert, a reporter based in Buenos Aires, who describes what happens when China comes calling with lots of cash. And Dan Ten Kate, who oversees Bloomberg’s government coverage in Asia, stops by to explain why the US has been so slow to respond to China’s advances in the region.

Read more about this story: https://bloom.bg/3ijEYOS

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK

Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at [email protected].

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The price of eggs was up 15% in January, driving overall inflation higher. The cause? Bird flu.
We’re joined by farmer Jim Hayes, as well as the hosts of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, to talk about how bird flu threatens the chicken supply chain and public health — and what, if anything, can be done to lower egg prices.

Listen to Beak Capitalism from Odd Lots.

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China’s property crisis has become a massive headache for the world’s second-largest economy. Tens of millions of newly built apartments lie vacant, home prices have tumbled and cash-strapped developers are struggling to finish construction.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Lulu Chen about what China is doing to try and solve its housing crisis. We go to Zhengzhou, home to the world’s biggest iPhone factory and the city where the housing market first imploded. It's now become a testing ground for government efforts to revive the ailing property sector. We look at whether they’re working, and what it will mean for China’s economy if the big push fails.

Read more: China’s Housing Rescue Falls Short in City That Signaled the Crisis

Further listening: What Comes Next in China’s Property Crisis

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After rebels took Syria’s capital, President Bashar Al-Assad fled Damascus for Russia, ending his brutal 24-year reign. His ouster marks the beginning of a new, uncertain phase for a country that’s been ravaged by 13 years of civil war.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Paul Wallace joins host Sarah Holder to discuss how Assad’s toppling has opened up a power vacuum in Syria — and what it means for the Middle East, the Syrian people and the world.

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