Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend — December 27th, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec, marks a special year-end and look-ahead edition. The team reflects on 2025’s top business, tech, and political stories, unpacks the magazine’s editorial choices, unveils Bloomberg’s definitive “Best Places to Travel in 2026” list, and spotlights personalities who shaped the year—most notably Elon Musk. The episode also dives into pivotal trends such as AI regulation, team leadership, organizational culture, and recommended reading for the winter.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Reflecting on 2025 & Businessweek’s Editorial Lens

[02:40–10:00]

Guests:

• Brad Stone (Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek)
• Alexis Christophorous, Nikki Eckstein (Bloomberg)

Main Discussion Points:

• Core Editorial Focus: The magazine’s aim is to cover icons in business, politics, and culture—individuals and companies changing the world.
  • “We are in the business of covering the icons in business, politics and culture, the companies that are transforming the world and the technologies and the trends that are changing our lives.” — Brad Stone [04:23]
• Major 2025 Themes:
  • AI’s Business Transformation: Features on Sam Altman, China’s AI boom, and the massive bets on data centers and GPUs.
  • Trump’s Presidency: Coverage focused on Trump’s assertive use of executive power and its spillover effects on economics and business norms.
• Stories That Resonated:
  • The “Doodle Industrial Complex” — an unexpectedly viral story about dog breed disputes.
  • An investigative report on Russell Vought and Project 2025, analyzing the real bureaucratic reshaping in Washington.
• Award-Winning Journalism: 'The Human Egg' (January issue) uncovered ethical concerns around the global egg donation industry, earning a Loeb Award.
• Editorial Challenges:
  • Balancing polarized feedback, especially on political coverage.
  • Brad Stone: “You don't get a, you know, disciplined, civilized letter to the editor. They tweet. They tweet something and they whip up, you know, and so, yeah, that, that certainly happened for a lot of what we write…” [13:06]
• Looking to 2026: Focus on midterms, China’s global role, climate risk, ongoing U.S. political realignment, and finding “larger than life” characters impacting the economy.

2. The “Jealousy List”—Best Non-Bloomberg Journalism of 2025

[11:16–12:52]

• Purpose: An annual collection of stories from rival media outlets that Businessweek staff “wished they had done”—a nod to great journalism elsewhere.
  • Standout: The New York Times story about how tourism is transforming Italy’s cities (“the spritzes and carbonaras that ate Italy”).
  • Brad Stone: “...it's a ritual. We've done it, I think, seven or eight years in a row.” [11:45]

3. Where To Travel in 2026: Bloomberg’s Pursuits List

[17:35–29:20]

Guest:

• Nikki Eckstein (Bloomberg Pursuits Global Travel Editor)

Main Discussion Points:

• Curation Process: Year-round tracking of global “hot zones” via news of hotel/museum/airport openings, cultural trends, and real-time data from Kayak.
  • Nikki Eckstein: “Sometimes it takes multiple years for news to kind of bubble up in the way that we want in a particular place.” [18:32]
• Notable Destinations:
  • Gabon: Emerging eco-tourism hotspot, aided by Jeff Bezos' $30M conservation investment; praised for ultra-exclusive and intimate wildlife experiences.
    • “The quote unquote people on the beach are hippos and elephants.” — Nikki Eckstein [20:41]
  • Greek Mountains: A less-trodden, culturally authentic alternative to the overcrowded and expensive Greek Isles.
  • Rote Island, Indonesia (for luxury splurges): Where the cult-favorite Nihi brand is launching a new resort/hospitality academy.
  • U.S. picks: The Ozarks (with Bentonville's Crystal Bridges Museum), Charleston, SC, and more.
• Interactive Tools: Partnership with Kayak for predictive price insights, helping travelers find the best time and way to visit each destination.

4. Elon Musk’s Unparalleled—and Tumultuous—2025

[30:21–42:24]

Guest:

• Max Chafkin (Senior Reporter, Bloomberg Businessweek)

Topics Covered:

• Shifting from Business Leader to Political Power Broker:
  • Early 2025: Musk as a central Trump administration advisor (Dept. of Government Efficiency “Doge”), regularly in the Oval Office, even bringing his son.
  • Later: Public fallout with Trump, including a physical “black eye” incident and ongoing drama.
    • “If I told you that Elon Musk was gonna leave the White House having a huge Twitter war with Donald Trump... you would say... it's been a terrible year for Elon and yet this guy is, he is Teflon...” — Max Chafkin [35:48]
• Business Performance vs. Reputation:
  • Despite controversies, Musk’s net worth skyrocketed (trillion-dollar Tesla pay package, rumored SpaceX IPO at $1.5T valuation).
  • Tesla’s political connections may have boosted stock price but alienated traditional consumer base.
  • SpaceX: Commercial and government successes; anticipation over IPO.
• Future of Musk’s Influence:
  • Continued entanglement of politics and business essential to Musk’s companies (AI, EVs, space, defense).
  • His unique relationship with both markets and the public allows him to weather scandals and volatility.
  • X (formerly Twitter) is less influential as a media platform, but crucial on the political right and as a data source for Musk’s AI projects.

5. Regulating the Digital World: The Global AI Battle

[46:58–57:12]

Guest:

• Anu Bradford (Columbia Law School Professor; Author of "Digital Empires")

Key Themes:

• AI Governance Models:
  • EU: Most proactive and rights-oriented (AI Act, privacy, transparency).
  • US: Shifted from regulation toward “techno-libertarianism” under Trump & David Sacks, now investing heavily in industry and restricting foreign tech (esp. from China), but with little new regulation.
  • China: Assertive, highly state-driven model.
  • Bradford: “I do like and endorse the European model in the sense that in my view that best safeguards the public interest and really takes seriously the fundamental rights of individuals and democratic structures...” [49:44]
• Urgent Priorities:
  • Protecting privacy, fighting disinformation, and labeling AI-generated content.
  • Safeguarding creative/copyrighted work in the age of generative AI.
  • Retaining global AI leadership (the U.S. should remain open to foreign/immigrant talent).
  • “We need to make sure that those societal risks are under control... while continuing to invest in the development of the AI by retaining the world's best talent...” — Anu Bradford [52:07]

6. Leadership, Teams, and “Collective Genius”

[57:52–67:11]

Guest:

• John Levy (Behavioral Scientist, Author of “Team: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius”)

Insights:

• What Makes a Leader?
  • Not empathy, charisma, or university-taught leadership “traits”—just about having followers.
  • “The reason we follow somebody is because when we interact with them or their media, they cause us to feel that there'll be a new and better future. That's it.” [59:54]
• Team Composition and Performance:
  • Emotional intelligence is key—teams with more women (on average, higher EQ) outperform others.
  • “It’s not because they’re women. It’s because women index higher on emotional intelligence...” [63:07]
  • Leadership effectiveness is not taught well in typical MBA programs; the best teams thrive on trust, communication, and emotional intelligence, not technical brilliance alone.
• Sense of Belonging:
  • Even high achievers feel like outsiders. Best teamwork emerges from environments built on trust and regular, meaningful exposure.

7. Building Purposeful, High-Performing Organizations

[74:11–85:03]

Guest:

• James D. White (Former CEO, Jamba Juice; Author of "Culture: How to Build a High Performing Resilient Organization with Purpose")

Approach to Leadership & Culture:

• People-First Strategy: Stakeholder engagement (especially employees) was central to Jamba’s turnaround and 500% market cap increase under White’s leadership.
  • “The thesis of our book is companies have culture by design or default. So always be intentional in building a company's culture.” [76:14]
• Measuring Culture: Employee engagement surveys and net promoter scores (both for customers and employees) can quantify culture’s impact on company performance.
• Transparency and Empathy: Modern leaders benefit from sharing their life journey—being vulnerable and authentic to build trust.
  • White: “Empathy is really a core capability... sharing more of myself really strengthens the ability for me to connect with leaders and people on a really different level...” [81:38]
• DEI & Organizational Values: Even as public focus ebbs, great leaders maintain a true north: “Put people first, and you create an environment where all the humans get to do their best work, you're going to always win.” [83:44]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• AI Changing Business:
  “One is AI, right. And the massive bet on data centers and GPUs and the way that it's transforming companies.”
  — Brad Stone [05:05]

• On Elon Musk’s Influence:
  “He was briefly probably the most powerful person in the US Government besides Donald Trump... he is Teflon, right? There are things, reputational things that would hurt other people and that seem to hurt other business people that do not... where he is able to float above it.”
  — Max Chafkin [35:48]

• Travel Trends:
  “You can stay in these beachside resorts and... the quote unquote people on the beach are hippos and elephants.”
  — Nikki Eckstein [20:41]

• AI Regulation:
  “We need to make sure that those societal risks are under control. And we need… to invest in the development of the AI by retaining the world's best talent, which often is immigrant talent.”
  — Anu Bradford [52:07]

• True Leadership Trait:
  “The reason we follow somebody is because... they cause us to feel that there'll be a new and better future. That's it.”
  — John Levy [59:54]

• Organizational Culture:
  “Companies have culture by design or default. So always be intentional in building a company's culture.”
  — James D. White [76:14]

Timestamps: Key Segments

• [02:40] — Reflecting on 2025: Year in Review with Brad Stone
• [11:16] — The Jealousy List: Best Journalism from the Competition
• [17:35] — Where to Travel in 2026: Behind Bloomberg’s Top 25 Destinations
• [30:21] — The Year in Elon Musk: Political Power, Corporate Drama, and What’s Next
• [46:58] — Regulating the Digital World: Anu Bradford on Safeguarding the Future
• [57:52] — John Levy on Leadership, Team Intelligence & What Makes Us Follow
• [74:11] — James D. White on Jamba Juice, Culture, and Org Design for 2026

Episode Flow & Tone

The hosts maintain an upbeat, conversational tone, blending analysis, wit, and curiosity. Their discussions—especially on travel, leadership, and corporate drama—are lively and rich in anecdotes, candid opinions, and first-hand insights from high-profile guests.

Takeaways for Listeners

• 2025 was a year of accelerated AI disruption, political realignment, generational divides over leadership, and continued myth-making (and myth-busting) around business titans like Elon Musk.
• Bloomberg Businessweek remains committed to reporting on both the world-shaping players and the subtle forces reshaping business, politics, and culture—and isn’t afraid to both critique competitors and celebrate their work.
• The future is increasingly global—whether traveling or regulating technology, cross-border awareness is now essential.
• The most effective leaders may not look like our textbooks suggest; empathy, emotional intelligence, and a focus on people-first cultures are taking center stage.
• Regulation of AI and digital platforms will be a global contest in 2026—with consequences for economics, security, and personal freedoms.

For more stories, recommendations, and interactive travel tools, visit Bloomberg.com, and check out the full guest reading list and feature coverage in the magazine’s Year Ahead and Pursuits sections.