The Future of Money
What Was the Job?
This was the year the job broke, the year we accepted a re-interpretation of its fundamental bargain and bought in to the push to get us to all work for ourselves rather than each other.
Cyber Shopping Isn't Just for Monday
Even Black Friday sales are falling as more people shift their retail habits to online. Physical stores still have advantages, but we're quickly finding ways to replace them with virtual substitutes.
Can Tech Companies Solve Their Temporary Labor Problem?
Some companies are moving away from the 1099 economy, recognizing that relying on temporary contract workers is bad for businesses, employees, and clients alike.
How Safe Is Apple Pay?
Walmart and Best Buy’s Apple Pay alternative has already been hacked. Your mobile wallet could be next.
The Halloween Industrial Complex
The scariest thing about Halloween might be just how seriously we take it. For this week’s holiday, Americans of all ages will spend more than $5 billion on disposable costumes and bite-size candy.
Will the End of a Tax Loophole Kill Off Irish Business?
U.S. technology giants have constructed international offices in Dublin in order to take advantage of favorable tax policies that are now changing. But Ireland might have enough other draws to keep them there even when costs climb.
Everyone Agrees: CEOs Should Be Paid Less
A lot less. A survey of citizens from 50 countries found that the ideal ratio between CEO and unskilled worker pay would be 4.6:1. In the United States, it's a staggering 351:1.
The Dangerous Rise of the Temporary Technology Worker
In the 1099 economy, we all work for commission, hoping to find enough opportunities to piece together a part-time salary on full-time work.
Welcome to the Economy Economy
With the recent introduction of Apple Pay, the Silicon Valley giant is promising to remake how we interact with money. Could iCoin be next?
Why Women Earn Less as Mothers and Men More as Fathers
For women, becoming a parent means you can expect to earn even less over your lifetime—unless you’re Marissa Mayer.
The Ice Bucket Challenge’s Meme Money
The ALS Association has raised nearly $100 million over the past month, 50 times what it raised in the same period last year. How will that money be spent, and how can non-profit executives make a windfall last?
What’s the Value of a Story?
As BuzzFeed puts another $50 million investment to use, some legacy media companies might be feeling left out. But BuzzFeed isn’t taking on journalism. It’s an entertainment, rather than news, company, because it knows stories are more compelling than scoops.
Why Technology Won’t Shorten Your Work Week
Despite advances in technology, we’re remarkably good at creating new forms of consumption, which lead to new work, and, in turn, new social hierarchies.
Coffee Shortages Won’t Change the Price of Your Frappuccino
You’re so loyal to Starbucks—and the company knows it—that your daily serving of caffeine is already marked up beyond the reach of any fluctuations in supply.
Why Do We Love the ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’ Game?
It’s easy enough to turn yourself into a virtual celebrity, complete with fame and mansions—but it will likely cost you.
Why Mobile Wallets Are Failing and Will Keep Failing
Normal wallets are simply too effective, no matter that the technology is millennia old.
Fare Money: Trapped on the Beijing Subway Without a Ticket
Public transportation passes are one of the most common forms of non-bank money that we interact with on a daily basis, but it’s easy—perhaps too easy—not to think of them as such, until something goes wrong.
Should the One Percent Stop Hoarding So Much Cash?
A tax on excess cash holdings—for corporations as well at high-net-worth individuals—could help spur development.
Virtual Economies Are the Future of Consumption
You know the $21 billion mobile gaming industry you contributed to by purchasing the latest iteration of Angry Birds? Look to it for clues about how we’ll soon consume all digital content.
Disrupt the Banks
Why haven't start-ups completely taken over the personal finance industry?
Time Is Money, but You Don't Need to Work Non-Stop
The aphorism is so ingrained in us that, unable to trace back its history, we consider it a part of our collective subconscious, but a new class of company is pushing industrial attitudes aside in favor of a healthier work-life balance.
The Fall of China’s Renminbi
Changing monetary policy in China reminds us that all national currencies are little more than constructions, open to manipulation and wild fluctuation.
When It Comes to Solar, the Market Is Making Environmentalism Easy
The price of this renewable energy source is now competitive with older, dirtier alternatives—and getting cheaper by the day.
Why Are So Many Silicon Valley Companies Valued in the Billions?
WhatsApp, Oculus, Instagram, Tumblr: These are just some of the technology companies recently valued at $1 billion or more. Whether we’re in a start-up bubble or not nobody can agree on, but one thing is certain: We have no idea what the future looks like, and an investment today could result in huge profits tomorrow.