Podcast
Foundering
Hosted by Bloomberg · EN
Foundering is an award-winning, serialized podcast from the journalists at Bloomberg Technology. Each season, Foundering brings you inside a different high-stakes drama from the technology industry, where its companies are wielding unprecedented capital and power.
53episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Bob Lee Part 5: Tech vs. San Francisco
4w ago00:38:21Summary readyWith Nima Momeni convicted of second degree murder, the media storm around Bob Lee faded. Reporter Shawn Wen tries to make sense of the widespread fascination with Lee’s death. She looks to the period before his death, when San Francisco was gripped by a bitter political fight over street crime, and to the years afterwards, when it emerged from the doom loop and into the AI boom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Bob Lee Part 4: The Made-for-TV Murder Trial
Apr 3000:50:08Summary readyNima Momeni's trial for murdering Bob Lee began in October 2024. Lee's killing, no longer a stand-in for random street crime, no longer fit neatly into the political zeitgeist. Instead, the tabloids latched onto the story for its salacious mix of drugs, violence and sex. Reporter Shawn Wen brings listeners inside the made-for-TV murder trial, which also served as a referendum on San Francisco. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Bob Lee Part 3: The Brilliant Programmer and a Lot of Wild Living
Apr 2300:38:42Summary readyWeeks after his death, Bob Lee’s toxicology report was released, indicating that he had alcohol, cocaine, and ketamine in his system. While his killing no longer fit neatly with the San Francisco Doom Loop narrative, a new story emerged that Lee traveled through an underground party scene known as “the Lifestyle.” Lee was twisted into a symbol for a second time, now representing the secret world of the wealthy tech elite. In conversation with Lee’s friends and family, reporter Shawn Wen tells the tale of the man they knew.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Bob Lee Part 2: The Brother Did It
Apr 1600:47:40Summary readyNine days after Bob Lee was found stabbed in San Francisco, police arrested Nima Momeni for his murder. Desperate to squash the ‘Doom Loop’ narrative, San Francisco officials insisted that Bob Lee was killed by someone he knew, a fellow tech executive. But the Cash App founder’s friends and family had never heard of Momeni. Reporter Shawn Wen tells the story of Momeni’s teen years in the East Bay, his minor brushes with the law, and the events that put him on a collision course with Lee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Bob Lee Part 1: San Francisco Has Blood On Its Hands
Apr 1600:37:14Tap to summarizeThree years ago, Bob Lee, a tech executive famous for creating Cash App, was found stabbed in San Francisco. His killing set off a wave of online fury. Reporter Shawn Wen takes us back to the turbulent days before his killer was arrested, when misinformation and rumors ran rampant. Several tech industry leaders decried violent crime in San Francisco, including David Sacks, who “bet dollars to dimes” that Lee was stabbed by “a psychotic homeless person,” and Elon Musk, who called the city “horrific.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Foundering: The Killing of Bob Lee (Trailer)
Apr 1400:01:50Summary readyThree years ago, Bob Lee, a tech executive best known for creating Cash App, was found stabbed in the streets of San Francisco. His killing set off a wave of online fury. Rumors and misinformation ran rampant. Several tech industry leaders weighed in, including David Sacks, who “bet dollars to dimes” that Lee was stabbed by “a psychotic homeless person,” and Elon Musk, who disparaged the district attorney. When Lee’s killer was arrested, it became clear that the truth of what happened could not be further from the initial speculation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Preview: The Sixth Bureau, Episode 1
Feb 1400:12:43Summary readyIt’s an open secret that the Chinese government has engaged in a global campaign to acquire intellectual property from foreign rivals. At the center of that campaign is the Ministry of State Security, China’s elusive intelligence agency. The US has apprehended hundreds of people accused of giving information to the MSS, but the agency’s inner workings have been a mystery — until now. Today, we’re bringing you Episode 1 of The Sixth Bureau, a limited-run series from The Big Take. The series follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil. Listen to Episode 2, available now in The Big Take.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Introducing: Everybody's Business
May 16, 202500:01:27Summary readyA smart and fun chat show about all things business. Hosted by award-winning business and economics journalists Max Chafkin (author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power) and Stacey Vanek-Smith (former co-host of NPR’s Planet Money and reporter for Marketplace), Everybody's Business is powered by the unparalleled sources and reporters who bring you Businessweek magazine’s headlines and the stories behind them. The show gives listeners a window into the discussions happening in boardrooms, Zooms and group chats in power centers around the world. From interpreting Fed meetings to the business of wolf cloning, each week Max, Stacey and their friends at Bloomberg Businessweek guide listeners through what really went on during the last week from Wall Street and Main Street. Because what’s happening with money and markets is everybody’s business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Introducing: Levittown
Mar 29, 202500:03:10Summary readyWhen dozens of young women discover manipulated photos of themselves have been posted on a porn site, they fight back – joining up with a global band of investigators and hackers to battle the AI-fueled rise of deepfakes. Listen to Levittown, wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary
Evolving Money: A Faster, Cheaper Way to Pay (Sponsored Content)
Jan 16, 202500:16:33Summary readyIn the 1950s, a businessman, looking for a new way to settle his lunch tab, sparked a payments revolution and paved the way for today’s cashless economy. Now, the growing use of stablecoins like USDC is leading businesses and consumers to an era of digital payments that’s even faster and cheaper than a credit card. This episode is sponsored by Coinbase.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary