Automation has crept into the way all kinds of products are manufactured, but machines have also been making inroads into a different type of industry: food services. Beyond touch screens and self checkouts taking over jobs once done by humans, restaurants and fast food chains are experimenting with robots to make your pizza and assemble your salad. Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Elizabeth Dunn joins this episode to talk about her reporting on Sweetgreen, a salad chain that’s taking its first leap into a largely automated experience in a Chicago-area location. And restaurant reporter Daniela Sirtori-Cortina looks at the public-facing side of restaurant automation. Read more: Sweetgreen Tests Robots to Make Faster, More Efficient Sad Desk Salads 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Big Take team is taking a knee for the holiday, so we wanted to share one of our favorite episodes. Enjoy, we'll be back tomorrow!-------The global pet economy is expected to reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2030. After a pandemic surge in pet adoptions, more people are buying ever more expensive food and toys for their furry friends. But beyond these routine costs, a growing number of owners are also shelling out thousands for veterinary care to treat complex illnesses and keep their pets alive for longer.  Bloomberg reporters Brendan Case and Nacha Cattan join this episode to give an expansive view of the industry, including how new diagnostic tools and medications are extending pet lifespans—and wearing down owners’ wallets. 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] podcast is produced by the Big Take Podcast team: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Rebecca Chaisson, Michael Falero and Federica Romaniello, Associate Producers: Sam Gebauer and Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili and Gilda Garcia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The shale revolution has powered the US economy, shaken up oil markets, and shaped America’s foreign policy. That may soon begin to change as the growth in shale oil productions slows. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas joins this episode to talk about how important the shale bonanza has been for the US, and what–if anything–can ultimately replace it.  Read more: Wall Street Is Finally Going to Make Money Off the Permian 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Virtual private networks, or VPNs, first emerged in the 1990s as a way for employees to securely log in to their office computer from home. Now, VPN providers market them to people looking to protect their web searches, location, and personal data from advertisers and other prying eyes. They’re used for everything from streaming television shows to accessing websites blocked by authoritarian regimes. Bloomberg reporter Austin Carr joins this episode to talk about whether VPNs can live up to their promise to keep your online data safe and private.  Read more: VPNs Are Going Mainstream, and So Are Their Trust Issues 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US dollar is the world’s most-used currency for global transactions. Now China aims to elevate its currency as an alternative. Over the past year, President Xi Jinping's government has struck deals linked to the yuan stretching from Russia and Saudi Arabia to Brazil and even France. Bloomberg reporter George Lei joins this episode to talk about how China’s efforts to create a rival to the dollar are going so far–and its goals for the future. And reporter Rebecca Choong Wilkins walks us through the geopolitics contributing to this currency competition.Read more: China Takes the Yuan Global in Bid to Repel a Weaponized Dollar 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.