What created the most dynamic economy the world has ever known: the mythical “free market” or entrepreneurial leaders in government? In his new book, Marketcrafters, Chris Hughes argues that American policymakers on the right and the left have spent much of the past century actively shaping our markets for social and political goals. Hughes seeks to debunk the myth that free markets, untouched by the hands of government, bring Americans prosperity and stability. Journeying through the modern history of American capitalism and relating the captivating stories of the most effective marketcrafters and the ones who bungled the job, Hughes reveals how both Republicans and Democrats have consistently attempted to organize markets for social and political reasons—whether avoiding gasoline shortages, reducing inflation, fostering the American aviation and semiconductor industries, fighting climate change, or supporting financial innovation.

Chris Hughes speaks with the hosts of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, about rediscovering the triumphs and failures of past marketcrafters, and how that knowledge can shape future markets from artificial intelligence to clean power production and beyond to be innovative, stable, and inclusive.

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