Marketplace All-in-One

With the increase in hate speech on Twitter, brands are facing a dilemma: stay and potentially tarnish their image or leave behind an audience they’ve spent time and resources building. In today’s episode, navigating the digital landscape in the Elon era. Plus, natural gas prices surprisingly fall in Europe, the “Avatar” sequel hits theaters in China and supply chain kinks are a recipe for school lunch confusion.

The future began 75 years ago with the invention of something small that’s now considered the most manufactured item in human history and the biggest thing since fire. This is a Marketplace special report on the birth of the transistor, which happened in New Jersey on Dec. 16, 1947 at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Bell Labs was at that time the research arm of the telephone monopoly AT&T. But what were the other ingredients needed for this place to become a hotspot for innovation? Why did it take years for the transistor to find a home inside the first commercial pocket radio? How did the transistor contribute to the rise of Silicon Valley? Transistors defined the last half of the 20th century and nearly the first quarter of the century we live in now. We spent some time exploring the ecosystems of innovation that created this world.

First, Christopher Low pores over the markets with us. A recent study displays how young adults are handling debt. Jennifer Pak discusses how the “Avatar” sequel could illustrate and possibly improve relations between China and the U.S.

First, Congress is making moves against TikTok. The final part of our series on the transistor chronicles how two men – one from Egypt, the other from Korea – became key figures in its development.

From the BBC World Service: Europe’s central bank boss Christine Lagarde has warned there’s a long way to go in the fight against inflation as interest rates continue to rise. Plus, a legal case in Kenya is alleging Facebook didn’t do enough to stop viral posts that encouraged the spread of hate and violence during Ethiopia’s civil war. And, the Brit Billion – a new way to recognize music streams.

On this day in 1947, scientists at Bell Labs, owned by AT&T — which had a telephone monopoly at the time — tweaked a new gadget the size of a shot glass to produce, basically, amplification. It marked the invention of the transistor. My colleague David Brancaccio has been using the anniversary to tell the story of the transistor and how it led to the semiconductor revolution. Part of that revolution was getting the technology from Bell Labs in New Jersey to what eventually became Silicon Valley. One man who made that move across the country played a key role.

We follow up with more on what’s next for the Fed after it raised interest rates again. Lawmakers are zeroing in on crypto regulation following the collapse of FTX. Could free transit in D.C. become reality?

First, we have more on the Federal Reserve, which raised interest rates Wednesday. Our next chapter in our series about the transistor details its impact on the place that would come to be known as Silicon Valley.

From the BBC World Service: New data from China sounds the economic alarm bells – it performed worse than expected last month, before the government abandoned its zero-COVID strategy. Plus, why Bosnia and Herzegovina is pinning its hopes on membership in the European Union. And, Nigeria’s issuing new banknotes, saying it wants to reduce the amount of cash in circulation. With elections due in February, the move might affect some politicians who hand out cash as part of their campaign.

A government agency known for keeping its secrets has been attempting to be a bit more open when it comes to cybersecurity. Digital attacks are now a regular threat, not just the for private sector, like last year’s hack of the Colonial oil pipeline. They are also a threat for public infrastructure, like major ransomware attacks on hospitals and public schools. So the National Security Agency is expanding its work with the private sector, nearly tripling the number of industry partnerships to more than 300 in the past year, according to the agency’s 2022 Cybersecurity Year in Review report. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams spoke with Rob Joyce, the NSA’s director of cybersecurity, about how the agency’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center is working with private companies.