In Episode 80 of Trade Splaining, we’re pulling back the curtain on everything from secret sausage wars to how Apple helped build modern China. Along the way, we break down the increasingly blurry line between trade policy and geopolitics, why AI is now after your desk job, and how sober tailgates and millennial nostalgia are the new macro indicators.

Special Guest: Patrick McGee, FT journalist and author of Apple in China, joins us to explain:

Why Apple didn’t just outsource manufacturing to China—it helped build it

How a $55B investment strategy turned into a Marshall Plan for advanced manufacturing

Why decoupling is harder than we think, and what it means for the future of globalization

Also in this episode:

Is trade policy dead—or just dressed up as national security?

The AI job shock: not just repetitive tasks, but white-collar jobs too

A big new EU–Switzerland trade deal (and an even bigger name: “The Bilaterals”)

Listener feedback, airline mysteries, stolen sausage secrets, and the return of All-American Rejects

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows.