Jess Jiang
Verified
shaper of stories, words and ideas (aka editor) @planetmoney. formerly producer @roughly she/her
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Articles by Jess Jiang
Anatomy of a movie market
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Life Sciences Patents Monthly Roundup—September 2026
AO A&O Shearman More A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets. This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world.
Charles Ponzi's scheme (plus a new scam)
Charles Ponzi's scheme (plus a new scam) : Planet Money Charles Ponzi was down on his luck. In 1919, the Italian immigrant had spent a decade and a half in the U.S. He was looking for a way to get rich and tried his hand at everything — including bookkeeping, sign painting, grocery clerk, dishwasher, and librarian. He caught a lucky break in August, when he received a letter from Europe. In the envelope was an International Reply Coupon, a clever way to prepay for international postage.
Where all those weird new drinks are coming from
Mocktail seltzers? Protein sodas? Where are all these new beverages coming from? : Planet Money It's getting pretty wild in the beverage aisle these days — from the rainbow wall of seltzers, to the increasingly strange flavors of Pepsi, to the new "functional" sodas with added fiber or supplements that supposedly offer health benefits. Where are all these new drinks coming from? And why does it seem like the options are multiplying faster than ever?
Life sciences patents monthly roundup—September 2026
This month’s life sciences newsletter highlights several significant developments from the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and national courts across Europe. A recurring theme within the UPC is the continuing Abbott v SiBio saga, with the UPC Court of Appeal upholding Abbott’s glucose sensor patent on the merits and the Milan Local Division granting a PI against SiBio-related entities.
The loan at the heart of a new foreclosure crisis
What is a DSCR loan and has it caused a foreclosure crisis in Baltimore? : Planet Money There is a new type of loan that is sweeping through the country right now. It’s advertised as a super quick and super easy way to get a mortgage to buy a home. In recent years, Wall Street has been funneling billions of dollars into these loans. But these loans are also raising questions. Are they a financial innovation that’s helping the housing market? Or ...
The loan at the heart of a new foreclosure crisis : Planet Money
4 hours ago Uncovered | A runaway HOA, unexplained child's death, a costly warranty denial | Season 2 Episode 14 www.youtube.com on YouTube • 4h A Georgia couple says they are facing foreclosure over homeowner association fees they never owed. A 5-year-old boy is found dead in North Carolina, leaving a grieving family with no answers after his cause of death is officially labeled "undetermined." A counterfeit hard drive?
Love in the time of Palantir
What does Palantir do? And, is it good for finding love? : Planet Money To a lot of people, Palantir is a mystery — what does the company know, what data do they have, and (if they have it) what do they do with it all? We dig into that mystery and take you to a singles event to see if Big Data is good for Big Dating.
Can World Cup mania grow MLS in the U.S.?
Mbappé? Haaland? Kane? Can MLS use the World Cup to get the next Messi? : Planet Money As the World Cup comes to a close, so does a massive real-time experiment happening just around the edges. Major League Soccer – the top men’s professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada – has been scrambling to take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity when average American sports fans suddenly cared a lot about soccer.
Seven allegedly fake Chanel bags vs The RealReal
When the luxury brand Chanel sued The RealReal for selling counterfeit bags : Planet Money Once upon a time, if you wanted to buy a luxury brand item secondhand (say, a Chanel handbag) you had to have an in. There was no easy way to find one. But over the past decade, the market for secondhand luxury goods has exploded. There are now many online resellers where you can shop for used and discounted luxury items. One big problem — how can you be sure if it’s real and authentic?
How to win a penalty shootout (with game theory)
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How to win a penalty shootout (with game theory) : Planet Money Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer scorer of all time. But when it comes to penalty kicks, Messi is merely average. Why? Maybe the answer involves game theory. According to game theory, there’s an optimal strategy for taking penalty kicks. This strategy involves an idea that was once somewhat controversial in economics — that is, until economists started studying soccer players in real life.
By Ashish Malhotra, Simon Kuper Verified, Stefan Szymanski, Jeff Guo Verified, Jess Jiang Verified, Emma Peaslee Verified
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NPR
Verified
The real horror of ‘Alien’ and how it explains why we’re not paid enough
The real horror of ‘Alien’ is the Monopsony : Planet Money Maybe the real monster in the Alien franchise isn’t actually the killer alien. Because behind the acid blood and jump scares is an even more insidious horror: a single employer with unchecked power. That employer is named Weyland-Yutani, a mega-corporation that dominates workers across the galaxy.
It’s my tree. Why can’t I cut it down?
The tug of war between property rights and zoning laws : Planet Money Can the government stop you from cutting down your own tree? In many towns and cities these days, removing a tree now requires a permit. You might have to pay a fee, or promise to plant replacement trees. But sometimes, the city won't let you cut down the tree at all, even a tree in your own backyard. That's because trees are important for air quality, for flood control, and for public health.
There's no business like dough business
Impulse buying, franchising, and the secret at the center of a pretzel : Planet Money Have you ever walked around a street, mall, or airport and noticed two or three of the same franchise restaurant within walking distance? Why might one Starbucks or McDonald’s or Wetzel’s Pretzels sometimes be built so close to another? Are they friends or competitors? And how can that possibly be profitable? Today’s show is one such example.
The sneaky way companies get new chemicals into our food Original
How untested chemicals sometimes sneak past the FDA and into our food : Planet Money 99% of chemicals in our food right now were added without FDA approval. Many were added in secret, through a sneaky loophole built into the 1958 Food Additives Amendment. It was supposed to require FDA approval for new additives. But food companies and chemical makers found a workaround. And the FDA formally okayed the loophole in the 90s — in the process bringing attention to a loophole to the loophole.
Vacation and why Americans take so little
Europe gets more vacations than the U.S. Here are some reasons why. : Planet Money Do you work more for more money? Or work less for more time? For some, this is the ultimate economic choice. Every single worker in the European Union is guaranteed four weeks of paid vacation. No matter how long they’ve been at a company. No matter how low paying the job is. Vacation is a right.
How to make a BOOK into a bestseller Original
The secret strategies for getting on the New York Times Best Seller list : Planet Money In the world of commercial publishing, there are few crowning achievements more coveted than a place on the New York Times Best Seller List. But how does a book actually end up there? There is, of course, a playbook that publishers and authors use to try to gin up enough sales at the beginning of a new book’s life to launch it onto the list.
The skyscrapers that NIMBYs and zoning couldn't stop
The skyscrapers that NIMBYs and zoning couldn't stop LIVE SHOW TOUR INFO HERE. New stories, live tapings, special guests, book signings and more. Walk the shoreline of Kitsilano in Vancouver, Canada, and you see a construction site where eleven residential towers are rising from new foundations. This cluster of high-rises is squeezed between the bridge and the water, on one side, and, crucially for this story, neighboring parks and expensive single-family homes on the other.
Our BOOK vs. the global supply chain
Our BOOK vs. the global supply chain
Inside a BOOK auction
In the age of TikTok and Polymarket, it can be easy to overlook the humble book. But books are one of the most influential technologies ever invented. From “The Wealth of Nations” to “Das Kapital,” books have the power to shape whole economic systems… and everything else in our world. The market for books can determine which ideas make it to the masses.
Chef vs. Robot : Planet Money
Robby the chef has lots of endearing qualities. He can make over 5000 dishes, he's a consistent cook, and he's never late for work. But he's not a human. It is a 750 lb. stainless steel robot. With a rotating wok at its center. It's a wok-bot. Automation has changed many industries. But automation only started entering restaurant kitchens in the past couple decades. Which raises the question – what will robots mean for the restaurant industry?
The Business of Heated Rivalry Original
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Heated Rivalry, the steamy hockey romance show, was made for about $2 million per episode. That is remarkably cheap for an hour-long drama. Today on the show, a conversation with Heated Rivalry creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady about their television miracle on ice. It's not just that the show was made efficiently and cleverly. Heated Rivalry comes from a Canadian economic system of making TV and movies that is completely different from how we do things in the US.
By Kara Swisher Verified, Kenny Malone Verified, Jess Jiang Verified, James Sneed Verified, Lara Naman, Zoe Marcus Verified, Taylor Griffin
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NPR
Verified
Don't hate the replicator, hate the game Original
The world of science has been stuck in an existential crisis over whether we actually know the things we thought we knew. Re-running an old study today doesn't always yield the same result. Same with re-enacting old experiments. Collectively, this is known as the "replication crisis." Economist Abel Brodeur has come up with one way to help fix this crisis: he's invented an internationally crowdsourced surveillance system, designed to keep social scientists honest.
This housing program helped kids escape poverty — by changing who they befriended : Planet Money
This housing program helped kids escape poverty — by changing who they befriended You know that feeling when your favorite band releases a new album? Okay, so, for me, that's not exactly what it's like when Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his team at Opportunity Insights release another big study. But it's close! Chetty and his team do incredible research. Part of it is the stuff they study really matters.
How much money President Trump and his family have made : Planet Money Original
How much money President Trump and his family have made Before President Donald Trump's first term, he was in a "tight spot" financially, according to New Yorker writer David Kirkpatrick. At the start of his second term, David says, Trump was in an "even tighter" spot. But after just six months into his second term, Trump's financial situation started looking really good.
What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill : Planet Money
What AI data centers are doing to your electric bill As a country, we are spending more to get data centers up and running than we spent to build the entire interstate highway system. (Yes, that's inflation-adjusted.) With tech companies spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI, data centers have kind of become the thing in the US economy. But along with that growth have come a lot of questions. Like where is all the electricity to run these data centers supposed to come from?
When Chicago pawned its parking meters : Planet Money Original
In 2008, Chicago’s budget was in a bad place. The city needed money. One way to raise money was to increase property taxes, but what politician wants to do that? So instead, Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration looked around at the resources the city had, and thought, ‘Any of this worth anything?’ They opted to lease out the city’s metered parking system — to privatize all 36,000 of its parking meters.
Strange threadfellows: How the U.S. military shaped what we all wear : Planet Money Original
Strange threadfellows: How the U.S. military shaped what we all wear From nuclear fission to GPS to the internet, it's common knowledge that many of the most resource intensive technologies of the last century got their start as military R&D projects in government-funded labs. But as Avery Trufelman explains in her fashion history podcast, Articles of Interest, the influence of the US military is, in many ways, even more intimate than that, shaping much of the clothing we all wear everyday.
Days of our Tariffs : Planet Money Original
Tariffs. They've been announced, unannounced, re-announced, raised and lowered. It's an on-going saga with billions at stake! On today's episode, we run full-on at the twisty, turny drama of life with broad-based tariffs and tackle perhaps our most asked question: Are we, regular US shoppers, feeling the tariffs yet? When we're at the grocery store or the coffee shop, are we paying more for things because of the tariffs? We now have the data to get a very clear answer to that question.
A new experiment in remote work … from the inside : Planet Money Original
A new experiment in remote work … from the inside When people in Maine prisons started getting laptops to use in their cells for online classes and homework, it sparked this new idea. Could they have laptops in their cells to work remotely for real outside world jobs, too??? And get real outside world wages? Today on the show, we have reporting from Maine Public Radio's Susan Sharon about a new experiment in prisons: remote jobs … paying fair market wages, for people who are incarcerated.
Everything’s more expensive!! Pet Care!! Concert Tickets!! (Two Indicators) : Planet Money Original
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People in the U.S. are feeling the financial squeeze, in part because of rising inflation, higher consumer prices and slowing job growth. The Indicator from Planet Money is tackling a special series on the rising cost of living. Today, two stories from that series. First, what’s making ticket prices go up? We look at the economics behind the ticket market and how “reseller bots” are wreaking all sorts of havoc. The industry is not a fan, and yet they do serve an economic function.
By Wailin Wong Verified, Adrian Ma Verified, Darian Woods Verified, Kate Concannon Verified, Jess Jiang Verified, Cooper McKim Verified
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NPR
Verified
After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble : Planet Money Original
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After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble This week's SNAP crisis is just a preview. Tucked inside the giant tax-cut and spending bill signed by President Donald Trump this summer are enormous cuts to SNAP: Who qualifies, how much they get, and who foots the bill for the program. That last part is a huge change. For the entire history of the food stamp program, the federal government has paid for all the benefits that go out.
By Jeff Guo Verified, Marianne McCune, Jess Jiang Verified, Willa Rubin Verified, James Sneed Verified
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NPR
Verified
Should the fine have to fit the crime? : Planet Money Original
Should the fine have to fit the crime? The U.S. Constitution famously outlaws "cruel and unusual punishments." But there's another, far more obscure part of the Constitution called the Excessive Fines Clause, which basically says that the fine has to fit the crime. So far, the Supreme Court has been pretty mysterious about what that means. But for Ken Jouppi, the fate of his $95,000 plane hinges on it. Ken is a bush pilot. He used to run an air taxi service in Fairbanks, Alaska.
TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy : Planet Money Original
When TikTok videos started to go viral on Instagram and Reddit, TikTok turned to professional sound designers to protect their content. More and more companies are paying to develop a "sonic identity" – a series of sounds, songs, and micro-jingles to help maintain a unified brand. In this episode, in conjunction with the sound design podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz, we hear the backstory to possibly the most successful audio branding campaigns in history.
The year NYC went broke : Planet Money
In 1975, New York City ran out of money. For a decade it had managed to pay for its hundreds of thousands of city employees and robust social services by taking on billions of dollars in debt. But eventually investors were no longer willing to lend the city any more money. New York teetered on the edge of bankruptcy — the city shuttered more than a dozen firehouses, teachers went on strike and garbage piled up in the streets.
The Planet Money Game: Test our prototype : Planet Money
It's here! It's free to download and playtest! It's the Planet Money game! (Download here.) • Download and playtest the game go here • Sign up for the 11/1 virtual AMA event and get updates about the game • Submit your feedback on the game • Watch the how-to video with Kenny and Elan for playtest instructions In this episode, the story of how we arrived here.
How Jane Street’s secret billion-dollar trade unraveled : Planet Money
On Wall Street, fortunes are often won and lost with the tiniest advantages. And for the past few years, one trading firm has stood out from the rest for both huge profits and careful secrecy — Jane Street Group. But last year, one of Jane Street's biggest and most lucrative trading strategies was unexpectedly revealed in a Manhattan courtroom. The news ricocheted around the world.
How Jane Street’s secret billion-dollar trade unraveled
On Wall Street, fortunes are often won and lost with the tiniest advantages. And for the past few years, one trading firm has stood out from the rest for both huge profits and careful secrecy — Jane Street Group. But last year, one of Jane Street's biggest and most lucrative trading strategies was unexpectedly revealed in a Manhattan courtroom. The news ricocheted around the world.
The U.S. now owns a big chunk of Intel. That’s a huge deal.
Last month, President Donald Trump announced an unusual deal. Intel, the biggest microchip maker in America, had agreed to give the United States a 10 percent stake in its business. That means the U.S. government is now Intel's largest shareholder — and a major American company is now a partially state-owned enterprise. This deal has raised a lot of eyebrows. The U.S. government almost never gets tangled up with businesses like this.
The U.S. now owns a big chunk of Intel. That’s a huge deal. : Planet Money Original
The U.S. now owns a big chunk of Intel. That’s a huge deal. Last month, President Donald Trump announced an unusual deal. Intel, the biggest microchip maker in America, had agreed to give the United States a 10 percent stake in its business. That means the U.S. government is now Intel's largest shareholder — and a major American company is now a partially state-owned enterprise. This deal has raised a lot of eyebrows. The U.S. government almost never gets tangled up with businesses like this.
The million dollar mystery behind Milk.com
When we stumbled upon Milk.com, we were mystified. It appears to be someone's personal website. But memorable domain names can be worth a million dollars or more. So, why is someone using this valuable internet real estate to post their resume and favorite recipes? Back in the internet's early days, it was easy to get a domain name. They were cheap or even free. The first people to grab them may now be holding onto assets that can sell for millions of dollars.
The million dollar mystery behind Milk.com : Planet Money Original
When we stumbled upon Milk.com, we were mystified. It appears to be someone's personal website. But memorable domain names can be worth a million dollars or more. So, why is someone using this valuable internet real estate to post their resume and favorite recipes? Back in the internet's early days, it was easy to get a domain name. They were cheap or even free. The first people to grab them may now be holding onto assets that can sell for millions of dollars.
Lisa Cook and the fight for the Fed : Planet Money
Lisa Cook and the fight for the Fed The Federal Reserve has been under intense pressure from President Donald Trump as he pushes for more control over the historically independent agency. The Fed is tasked with keeping inflation and unemployment under control, and it's supposed to be insulated from politics so it can do whatever is necessary for the economy. But Trump has been openly saying he wants interest rates to be lower. A lot lower. And on Monday, Trump a bombshell.
Zooming In On AI: Tackling Deepfakes Around The World
AO A&O Shearman More A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets. This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world.
What happens when governments cook the books : Planet Money
Foreign governments bet big to lobby Trump on tariffs. Most came up empty. Countries scooped up lobbyists with Trump connections as the administration embarked on an effort to upend global trade. They’re all still looking at higher tariffs. Countries across the globe have dropped tens of millions this year on lobbyists with ties to President Donald Trump as they rushed to …
Court Of Appeal Upholds Invalidity Of AstraZeneca's Compound Patent And Clarifies The Standard Of Plausibility
On July 16 2025, the Court of Appeal dismissed AstraZeneca's appeal and upheld the first instance decision, finding that AstraZeneca's compound patent for dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor used to treat diabetes, was invalid for lack of plausibility.
Why are we so obsessed with manufacturing?
It seems like politicians cannot agree on a lot. But many seem to agree on... manufacturing. Leaders of both political parties have been working to try and make the U.S. a manufacturing powerhouse again. On today's show, what is so special about manufacturing? Is it particularly important for the economy? And if manufacturing jobs are so great, then why have companies been struggling to fill the manufacturing jobs we already have?
The simple math of the big bill
If we think about the economic effects of President Donald Trumps big taxing and spending and domestic policy bill, we can roughly sum it up in one line. It goes something like this: We will make many big tax cuts permanent and pay for those tax cuts by cutting Medicaid and a few other things and also...by borrowing money. A lot of money. Even more than we've already been borrowing over the past twenty years. (And that was already a lot, too!) Today: simple arithmetic with profound ramifications.
A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem
There's an economic fantasy you sometimes hear in D.C. It often gets trotted out when politicians are trying to add billions or trillions to the national debt. They claim that all the new spending — whether it's tax cuts or corporate subsidies or infrastructure projects — will be worth it in the end because we will supercharge economic growth. This fantasy recurs again and again, because economic growth is a potent force.
The debt limit, the origins of the X Date, and why it all matters
Note: A version of this episode first ran in 2023. Every year, the U.S. government spends more money than it takes in. In order to fund all that spending, the country takes on debt. Congress has the power to limit how much debt the U.S. takes on. Once we reach that limit, Congress has a few options so that the government keeps paying its bills: Raise the debt limit, suspend it, or eliminate it entirely.
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