Biography
Over the last 20 years, Kai has been the host and senior editor of Marketplace, the most popular program on business and the economy – radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting – in the country. He also co-hosts the podcast Make Me Smart.
Kai won an Emmy Award in 2012 for Outstanding Investigative Journalism on a PBS Frontline documentary about money in politics entitled Big Sky, Big Money. His written work has been featured in The New York Times and The Atlantic. He is frequently called on as an event and panel moderator at such conferences as the Aspen Ideas Festival, Atlantic Ideas, Fortune Brainstorm, and Fast Company Innovation. Kai also speaks regularly with policymakers, including the Federal Reserve Chair, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of the White House National Economic Council. He interviewed President Obama twice in the Oval Office and once on a folding chair in the middle of the Nevada desert.
Videos
Kai Ryssdal explains the Bond Market
Stronger Together: Expanding Worker Voice to Expand Economic Opportunity
Blog Posts
Events That Make People Feel Seen and Create a True Sense of Community
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Productivity Speakers Who Actually Help You Focus and Move Work That Matters [2026 Guide]
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These Keynote Speakers Prove Innovation is a Habit, Not a Big Idea [2026 Guide]
Our 2026 list of innovation keynote speakers that reveal why real innovation is a repeatable habit, not a big idea, and why marketing is the proof.
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Fear vs. Intuition: How Michelle Poler Can Help You Finally Tell Them Apart
Learn how to tell fear apart from intuition using a simple decision-making exercise from Hello Fears founder Michelle Poler.
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