When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America from France in 1831 he saw a new kind of society. Not just a country, but an idea that would change the world. His book “Democracy in America” was a big influence on later generations of writers and thinkers, including The Economist’s US Editor John Prideaux. Now, 250 years after its birth, the vitality of that democracy is under question. In this series, John retraces the route Tocqueville took to find out how much of what inspired Tocqueville about America remains—and how worried we should be about what’s changed.

Out now

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On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/tocqueville-road-trip-from-the-economist/id1896918330

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A conversation about the potential and limits of AI agents with the co-founder of Sierra, an agentic customer-service company. Bret Taylor, who is also the chairman of OpenAI, tells Andrew Palmer about the imperfections of the technology, the competition between model-makers and vendors, and how he uses AI to manage.

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This episode is also available to watch on The Economist’s YouTube channel.

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How should employees and bosses be using the technology right now? And how should all of us prepare for the future?

Andrew Palmer returns for a third season of Boss Class. This time it’s all about AI. In the first episode, he starts introducing AI into his daily work routines, and receives a nasty shock.

Guests

Tom Blomfield, Partner at Y Combinator

Ethan Mollick, Professor at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Ludwig Siegele, AI Editorial Lead, The Economist

Ruth Berry, AI engineer, The Economist

Topics

Generative AI at work

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In this episode, Andrew asks Claude, a generative AI programme, to write his management column for him. You can find Andrew’s column here and Claude’s version here.

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AI is changing how we work. It's turning us all into managers. Be a good one.

The Economist’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, takes on the bots in the third season of Boss Class. From cloning to coding, agents to entry-level jobs, he tackles the threat head on and figures out how to turn anxiety into opportunity. Along the way he meets bulls and bears and the people who can help you to master management in the age of AI.

Full Season 3 out 29th January 2026.

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The picturesque town of Corning in upstate New York doesn’t look like the site of bleeding-edge innovation. But inventions by a 174-year-old glass company there have changed the modern world, thanks in part to some blunt advice from Steve Jobs. 

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For Season 2, we’re releasing an extended interview alongside each episode. This week: Who needs search engines when chatbots can answer every query for you? That’s the question confronting the head of Search at the world’s most popular website.

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Forget the hammocks and ping-pong tables. Creativity takes work. Managers at Google, Lego and a pair of AI startups share advice on breaking through.

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Tracey Franklin, chief human resources officer at vaccine and biotech company Moderna, tells The Economist's Andrew Palmer what turbocharged growth taught her about hiring, teamwork and company culture

Boss Class season one is free for a limited time. Season two will appear weekly starting May 12th. To hear new episodes, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

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The careers of many CEOs are built on overconfidence and a few lucky breaks. But to be a successful leader, Daniel Kahneman suggests maintaining a healthy suspicion of your own intuition. The Nobel-prize-winning behavioural scientist prescribes a “structured process” for making the right decisions.

Boss Class season one is free for a limited time. Season two will appear weekly starting May 12th. To hear new episodes, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

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The Economist's Andrew Palmer asks Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO of Stripe and author of "Scaling People", about her systems and strategies for good management.

Boss Class season one is free for a limited time. Season two will appear weekly starting May 12th. To hear new episodes, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.

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If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.