In the first of a special series of Squawk Pod episodes, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger speak with CNBC’s Becky Quick about their 60 years of friendship and their journey building Berkshire Hathaway. In this special, refreshed episode, hear archival audio of Buffett through history: from the 1960s, the early 2000s, and pandemic-era America. Buffett and Munger recall their earliest days in the insurance business, how the two became friends, and how failure taught them lessons that they still l...
Dec 27, 2021•32 min
As the rush for pre-holiday Covid tests continues, new studies suggest that omicron may have lower hospitalization risk than other Covid-19 variants. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell discusses the new data as well as the FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s therapeutic pill and the other oral treatments that could come in 2022. While the variant puts extra pressure on an already squeezed supply chain, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg provides an update on the nation’s supply chain bottlenecks and collaboration b...
Dec 23, 2021•33 min
In light of rising Covid-19 cases in New York, restaurateur Danny Meyer has made the call to temporarily close a number of establishments owned by his company, Union Square Hospitality Group. Meyer discusses a new vaccination policy that he hopes will help keep staff and patrons safe. As founder of Shake Shack, Meyer also weighs in on the french fry shortage, as well as the superior fry shape. Biotechs aiming to increase our lifespans and reverse aging-related diseases have garnered billions fro...
Dec 22, 2021•39 min
Dr. Syra Madad, senior director of the system-wide pathogens program at New York City Health and Hospitals, considers the pandemic still in its “emergency” phase as cases of omicron outpace those of other variants. But, the game must go on--for the NFL, at least. While the NHL and college basketball teams have paused and postponed their games, the National Football League is taking a new approach to managing Covid-19 cases after over 100 players in the league tested positive. HGGC president and ...
Dec 21, 2021•30 min
Global markets are wavering as cases of the omicron variant ticks up around the world. Moderna says its Covid booster dose does bolster antibodies against the new variant, but even so, CNBC’s Robert Frank reports that big banks are reversing their return-to-work policies. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell explains the Moderna news and compares data on cases of Covid’s omicron and delta variants, and former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb offers best testing practices to families hoping to gather for a safe...
Dec 20, 2021•36 min
Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor, weighs in on holiday parties with vaccinated family and friends as Covid-19 omicron variant spreads throughout the United States. The nation’s top infectious disease doctor discusses a possible redefinition of what it means to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Changes are certainly “on the table,” said Dr. Fauci, who emphasizes there is no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster dose. Currently, individuals are considered to be f...
Dec 17, 2021•31 min
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is developing new antibodies that work against the omicron variant of Covid-19, after the company confirmed that its current cocktail has diminished potency against the heavily mutated strain. CEO Leonard Schleifer says Regeneron plans to conduct trials on the new antibodies in the first quarter of 2022. The Federal Reserve’s move to accelerate its taper but not yet move the needle on interest rates has left market analysts in disagreement over whether it was the right ...
Dec 16, 2021•28 min
In this special podcast, Andrew Ross Sorkin spoke with Galleon Group Founder, Raj Rajaratnam , who was convicted in 2011 of 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy in one of the biggest insider trading cases in history. Prosecutors accused him of making tens of millions of dollars by trading illegal information about stocks like eBay, Goldman Sachs and Alphabet, then known as Google. Now he’s spent seven years in prison, paid more than $150 million in fines and his first interview after bei...
Dec 15, 2021•38 min
As the specter of omicron looms large over the festive season, governments around the world are desperately trying to deploy Covid-19 booster shots in order to bolster people’s protection against the more transmissible variant. Meanwhile, Pfizer is working on the first antiviral Covid-19 pill. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell broke down the final analysis of Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill that showed a near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients. Companies from Lyft to Ford have ...
Dec 14, 2021•27 min
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed today that at least one patient infected with the new omicron variant of Covid-19 has died in the country. In a televised statement yesterday, Johnson warned Britain faces a “tidal wave” of omicron infections. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner and CNBC contributor, discusses the latest developments surrounding the worrisome omicron coronavirus variant and says the world should take notice. The biggest question looming over Capitol Hill is whe...
Dec 13, 2021•38 min
Inflation accelerated at its fastest pace since 1982, putting pressure on the economic recovery and raising the stakes for the Federal Reserve. CNBC’s senior economics reporter, Steve Liesman, breaks down the latest consumer price index data. Dr. Kavita Patel, former White House health policy director and fellow at the Brookings Institution, reports on the latest CDC recommendations around Covid-19 booster shots. Restaurateur Lidia Bastianich discusses the pandemic’s impact on the restaurant ind...
Dec 10, 2021•30 min
Cathie Wood, CEO and CIO of Ark Invest, says bitcoin’s value could go up by $500,000 over time as hedge funds and other large investors move in. She also shared her most recent thoughts on Twitter, Tesla, as well as details on Ark Invest’s newest exchange-traded fund. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, testified for the first time before Congress and refused to commit to permanently ending the paused plans to create a version of the platform for kids under 13. Lawmakers expressed frustration and distru...
Dec 09, 2021•34 min
Pfizer and BioNTech say three doses of their vaccine provide a high level of protection against the omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell breaks down the latest data and reports the third shot shows virus-fighting abilities comparable with the 95% protection provided by two doses against the original strain of the virus. CNBC’s Ylan Mui reports how Congress is trying to block the Biden administration’s nationwide Covid-19 vaccine mandate on businesses. Sen. Mark W...
Dec 08, 2021•27 min
Congress and the Federal Reserve will have more impact on what happens to the economy and markets than the pandemic, according to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, who joins Squawk Box exclusively from the bank’s headquarters in Manhattan. With support from both starting to fade in the days ahead, Solomon says investors should take heed and plan accordingly. He also discussed China, recent market uncertainty, cryptocurrencies, and why he thinks inflation could run ‘above trend’ for a period of ti...
Dec 07, 2021•30 min
At least 17 states have detected the omicron coronavirus variant and that number is expected to rise according to the CDC. Former FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb and CNBC’s Meg Tirrell report on the spread and severity of the omicron variant. Buzzfeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti discusses the digital media company’s debut as a public company through a SPAC merger, after an unusually high number of investor redemptions. Peretti also breaks down the company’s planned path to profitability and i...
Dec 06, 2021•38 min
As the international business community responds to China’s treatment of Peng Shuai, CNBC’s Eunice Yoon gives more details from Beijing and Yale School of Management’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld discusses how leaders could and should be supporting the tennis Olympian. As cases of the omicron variant pop up in New York, Minnesota, and Colorado, questions arise about effective vaccination manufacturing and overall preparedness for yet another Covid wave. Plus, Ylan Mui reports on the debt ceiling drama in...
Dec 03, 2021•26 min
The omicron variant lands in the United States with its first known case appearing in California. The White House is out with new guidance on how to deal with the new variant by tightening travel restrictions, extending mask mandates, and rapid tests that may be costing consumers. Joe Kernen, Becky Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin discuss how this news might be influencing investors and the Fed. And the largest Southeast Asian company to list in the U.S. has gone public on the Nasdaq. SoftBank-back...
Dec 02, 2021•31 min
The markets are reacting to comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell , who announced a plan to taper its asset purchases faster. He--and the rest of the economist community--is ready to retire the word “transitory,” but his comments have not retired questions and concerns from investors. CNBC’s Steve Liesman explains Powell’s comments. CEO of Lazard’s Financial Advisory business Peter Orszag discusses Fed leadership and Lazard’s efforts to quantify climate issues in the equities market. The FDA has...
Dec 01, 2021•39 min
Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio holds firm in his belief that cash is not king, despite the market volatility triggered by the Covid omicron variant. Dalio discusses competing with China, the global economy, and his new book, “The Changing World Order.” Comments about omicron from Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel have spooked investors, and Jack Dorsey’s decision to step down from his role as Twitter CEO took the markets by surprise. Plus, for Giving Tuesday: a conversation about the potential for ...
Nov 30, 2021•41 min
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says he’s “very, very confident” that the company’s Covid-19 treatment pill will be effective against the omicron variant of Covid-19 , and that Pfizer will be able to manufacture a vaccine for this variant within 100 days, to be used if necessary. Pfizer submitted its application earlier this month to the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the pill, Paxlovid, for emergency use. Bourla spoke with CNBC’s Meg Tirrell and the ‘Squawk Box’ team to discuss managing the...
Nov 29, 2021•30 min
The World Health Organization will meet today to discuss a new heavily-mutated variant of Covid-19. The variant has been detected in small numbers in South Africa, with reports of cases in Israel and Hong Kong. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell reports on how Covid-19 drugmakers like Moderna and Pfizer are responding to the variant. Dr. Kavita Patel, former White House health policy director and fellow at the Brookings Institution, also reacts to the new variant but says we shouldn’t “get ahead of ourselves” j...
Nov 26, 2021•23 min
Billionaire investor Ken Langone and Larry Bossidy, former Honeywell CEO, speak about the RADical Hope Foundation, their effort to reach young people struggling with mental health. The two united after Bossidy’s grandson Chris Martin, a Gonzaga University student, died by suicide aged 20. Bossidy first discussed the tragedy in a moving 2018 Squawk Box appearance, that caught guest William Shatner by surprise. RADical Hope’s new program -- RADical Health, being pioneered at NYU -- encourages stud...
Nov 25, 2021•18 min
ARK Invest founder and CEO Cathie Wood explains why she thinks ARK’s funds should be more valuable over the next five years despite a recent dip in tech shares. Wood’s flagship fund, ARK Innovation ETF, is down nearly 15% in 2021 while the S&P 500 is up 25%. Retailers Nordstrom and Gap both saw their quarterly results fall short and their shares prices hit by supply-chain disruptions even as more customers returned to their physical stores. Several hundred Google employees have signed and ci...
Nov 24, 2021•38 min
Palantir CEO Alex Karp reflects on the software firm’s first year as a publicly traded company and breaks down its growth trajectory. Karp discusses the company’s controversial position in American politics, his decision to relocate from Silicon Valley, the recently passed infrastructure bill, and U.S. climate policies. Karp weighs in on Palantir’s anti-terrorism efforts and the patriotism of other American tech CEOs; he thinks companies that work with adversarial governments, rather than the U....
Nov 23, 2021•27 min
President Joe Biden is nominating Jerome Powell for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, which means Americans can expect the U.S. central bank to maintain its patient stance on inflation and interest rates. Biden praised Powell and the Fed for “decisive” action that cushioned the impact of the Covid pandemic. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner and CNBC contributor, discusses why it’s important for Americans to get a booster shot against Covid-19 ahead of the holidays. Sara...
Nov 22, 2021•34 min
The House of Representatives has passed the largest expansion of the social safety net in decades, a $1.75 trillion bill that funds universal pre-K, Medicare expansion, renewable energy credits, affordable housing, a year of expanded Child Tax Credits and major Obamacare subsidies. Now President Biden’s Build Back Better Act heads to the Senate. CNBC’s Ylan Mui reports on the Congressional Budget Office estimate that the legislation would add $367 billion to budget deficits over a decade. Vetera...
Nov 19, 2021•31 min
Salad chain Sweetgreen made its trading debut today on the New York Stock Exchange. The D.C.-based company, which was founded in 2007, is trying to tap into what it describes as a grossly underserved market for fast-food that is also fresh, seasonal, and healthy. Sweetgreen co-founders Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru explain their vision for a “McDonald’s of this generation.” Deere & Co. workers approved a new contract late yesterday, delivering 10% raises immediately and end...
Nov 18, 2021•19 min
Retail earnings continued today with Target reporting better-than-expected Q3 results. Like Walmart however, Target investors are worried about margins as the company absorbs higher costs of supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, rather than passing them on to consumers. Target CEO Brian Cornell addresses those concerns and details how the company has navigated global supply chain bottlenecks ahead of the holiday shopping season. Investing legend Mario Gabelli, chairman and CEO of GAMCO I...
Nov 17, 2021•39 min
Billionaire investor and founder of The Carlyle Group David Rubenstein discusses the risks and longevity of inflation. Having worked in the Carter Administration, Rubenstein considers whether today’s economic environment might match that of the 1970s. In his extended interview, he discusses the markets, the supply chain, President Biden’s economic agenda, the Fed, and crypto. CNBC’s Kayla Tausche recaps the virtual meeting between President Xi and President Biden , highlighting the key topics of...
Nov 16, 2021•29 min
President Biden signs the $1T bipartisan infrastructure plan today, but the Build Back Better plan has yet to pass the House. Covid-19 cases are ticking up in some areas where vaccination rates and immunity is low, but after the holidays, Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb expects cases to decline again. He considers a future in which Covid is regarded much like the flu, with effective vaccines and oral therapeutics. Shoppers, look out: inflation could hike up your holiday bills. CNBC’s ...
Nov 15, 2021•25 min
