Ep. 192 - Is Business Becoming Our New Government? With Elizabeth MacBride & Seth Levine

If it feels like corporations have more influence than elected officials right now… you're not imagining it.

 

Authors Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride join me to unpack their new book, Capital Evolution: The New American Economy — and the argument that we're living through a major transition in American capitalism. They break down how the last 50 years of "shareholder-first" thinking helped concentrate wealth and opportunity, why we're now in a messy in-between era, and what they believe could come next: a more "dynamic capitalism" that still values markets, but expands ownership and opportunity, encourages longer-term thinking, and redefines the relationship between business, government, and the public.

 

We also talk about what accountability looks like when business is a primary actor in society, where the line is between corporate values and politics, and why our fractured information environment (and AI) makes it harder to see what's actually real.

 

If you've been trying to make sense of the economy, power, and what's shifting beneath our feet — this conversation offers language, context, and a few reasons to stay clear-eyed (and hopeful).

 

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