This Week in Business

Hamsa Bastani, Associate Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions at the Wharton School, examines the opportunities and risks of integrating AI into K–12 education, emphasizing the need for foundational skills, guardrails, and human connection to ensure technology enhances—rather than undermines—student learning and motivation.

Kent Smetters, Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, discusses recent research revealing how deportation—especially over long periods—can lower GDP and reduce wages for high-skilled workers, challenging assumptions about who truly benefits or suffers from such policies.

Maurice Schweitzer, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, joins the show to explore the challenges organizations face when high-performing employees clash with leadership, drawing on real-world examples from sports and business including Steve Jobs, Jamie Dimon, and Sheryl Sandberg.

Emilie Feldman, Wharton Professor of Management, explores how recent M&A activity—such as Ferrero’s acquisition of WK Kellogg—reflects a recurring trend where companies separate high-and low-growth assets only to later reintegrate them, drawing parallels to past moves by Kraft, Heinz, and other consumer goods giants.Ask ChatGPT

Manav Raj, Wharton Assistant Professor of Management, shares insights on how AI is transforming job roles, challenging traditional degree models, and pushing both students and educators to rethink skills development in a shifting labor market.

Jeremy Siegel, Wharton Emeritus Professor of Finance and WisdomTree Chief Economist, shares his outlook on economic growth, inflation, interest rates, and market resilience, addressing the impact of tariffs, the rise of AI, and the uncertain future of Federal Reserve leadership.

John Zhang, Wharton Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, discusses how firms use tariff-induced economic conditions to raise prices and explore dynamic pricing strategies, balancing profit motives with consumer perceptions and competition.

Peter Cappelli, Management Professor at the Wharton School and Director of the Center on Human Resources, explains why bold predictions about AI-driven job loss often miss the mark, how financial pressures are influencing executive behavior, and why uncertainty—not automation—should be guiding future workforce strategies.

Greg Shea, Adjunct Professor of Management and Senior Fellow at the Wharton Center for Leadership and Change, outlines how Boeing’s long-term shift away from its engineering roots has led to widespread reputational damage and organizational dysfunction—and what its leadership must do to repair both internal culture and external credibility.