Boss Class from The Economist

The best bosses create systems for solving problems old and new—from navigating working-from-home demands to hiring the right people, from running good meetings to managing themselves.

Andrew Palmer, author of the Bartleby column, looks for advice on how to be a better boss by talking to people who have actually done the job. Listen to The Economist's guide for managers.

Season 3 is all about the challenges of AI in the workplace. It's out Thursday 29th January.

If you're not already a subscriber to The Economist, sign up for our podcast subscription, Economist Podcasts+ at economist.com/podcastsplus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last refreshed: April 24th, 2026 at 12:58 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

S3 Bonus 1: Bret Taylor of Sierra and OpenAI

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. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription...

Jan 29, 2026•34 min

S3 E1 Fat layer of humans

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...

Jan 29, 2026•35 min•Season 3Ep. 1

Trailer: Boss Class Season 3

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. To listen, subscribe to Economis...

Jan 22, 2026•2 min

S2 E13 Company profile: Corning

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. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus 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 abo...

Jun 23, 2025•35 min•Season 2Ep. 13

S2 E2 Meet the boss: Liz Reid of Google

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. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus 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 a...

May 12, 2025•37 min•Season 2Ep. 2

S2 E1 Innovation: Coming up with new ideas

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. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus 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...

May 12, 2025•36 min•Season 2Ep. 1

Trailer: Boss Class Season 2

Good bosses are rare. They don’t have to be. The skills of management can be learned. The Economist ’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, is here to help. The second season of Boss Class features leaders at some of the world’s best performing companies, from Levi’s to Novo Nordisk to Google. New episodes are out weekly starting May 12th. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus If you’re already a subscriber to The Econom...

Apr 28, 2025•2 min

S1 E2 Hybrid work: Out of office

To manage a workforce divided between the home and office, bosses should ask the five basic questions of journalism: who, what, where, when and why. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jane Sun, the CEO of Trip.com Group, and Lidiane Jones, the CEO of Slack, give their divergent views. To hear the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you have full access to all our shows as part of y...

Oct 23, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 2

S1 E1 Leadership: Weed it and reap

Andrew Palmer, The Economist 's Bartleby columnist, learns lessons in management on a Norwegian mountainside. He hears from Emma Walmsley, the CEO of GSK; Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel prize-winning psychologist; and Claire Hughes-Johnson, the one-time COO of Stripe. To hear the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ . https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist , you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more i...

Oct 23, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Trailer: Boss Class Season 1

The workplace keeps changing and managers have to keep up. The best bosses create systems for solving problems old and new—from navigating working-from-home demands to hiring the right people, from running good meetings to managing themselves. Andrew Palmer, author of the Bartleby column, looks for advice on how to be a better boss by talking to people who have actually done the job. Listen to The Economist 's seven-episode guide for managers. Boss Class season one is free for a limited time. Se...

Oct 02, 2023•2 min

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android