Alphabet and Meta are facing regulatory consequences for becoming monopolies. It's not something we see happen often in the U.S. and it begs the question, is breaking a company up because it became too big a good thing or bad? On this week's episode of Truth or Skepticism, Dylan and Tom discuss, plus Dylan shares a story about the time he pissed off Bill Gates.

Nations have different types of power. One is economic. Another is influence or soft power that comes from goodwill. We attract the best and brightest from around the world to go to our schools. We draw in capital because our markets are the best and most liquid. But as Chairman Powell said today in Chicago, the impact of the current economic policy could put all that at risk. On this week's episode, Tom and Dylan discuss the continued fallout from tariffs and retribution.

Tariffs on. Tariffs off. They didn't even last a full 24 hours before Trump gave most countries a reprieve but raised tariffs on China to 125%. Markets rallied on the news and hopes that a disaster was averted. But is this type of movement good for a market? Is it good for trade? Tune into this week's episode as Tom and Dylan discuss the latest in the trade war.

When you change economic policy as dramatically as we have in the last two months, there are bound to be unintended consequences. What are those consequences? Time will tell. But already we're seeing the European Union discuss improving their financial markets so they're more accessible. Germany is rearming. The consequences of trade policies are leading to places we may not have expected. Tune in as Tom and Dylan discuss the unintended consequences of trade policies.

MicroStrategy was the first company to change their business model to rely on investing in bitcoin. Yesterday, GameStop became the second. At the same time, the Trump family is planning to launch a stable coin. We're seeing undue risk with assets and a threat to market integrity all at the same time. On this week's episode, Tom and Dylan cover this and more.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, there was a brain drain from Russia. The best and brightest left for better opportunities. The U.S. was a beneficiary of that just as we've benefitted from kids from other countries, where little academic opportunity existed, coming to the U.S. But now we're seeing the government pull back on funding and threatening other schools that graduates won't be hired if curriculums aren't in line with political objectives. Tom and Dylan discuss the repercussions of this on this week's episode.

Over the past year, crowdsourcing has increasingly replaced facts backed by proof, while regulatory enforcement has declined. This shift allows for new ideas but also threatens the integrity of institutions built on truth. In this episode, Tom and Dylan explore the value of truth, the dangers of subjective facts, and the consequences of lacking regulatory oversight.

Can you put a successful CEO in the White House and get a good outcome? It's a fair question. And, it's one with which we're experimenting right now. The jury is out at the moment, but the early returns seem questionable. Maybe it's just early mistakes that will bring learning experiences and better outcomes. Time will tell. Tune in for this week's episode as Tom and Dylan talk about running a government vs. running a company.

This administration has too much regulation. This administration has too little regulation. Which administration is just right? That's the question Tom and Dylan are attempting to tackle on today's episode. Markets need regulation to have enough integrity that investors feel confident. But too much regulation and it markets can grind to a halt. Finding the sweet spot is always the challenge. This and more on this week's episode.