The economist and Facebook co-founder discusses his revelatory and unexpected history of the rise of American capitalism.

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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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Chris Hughes is an economist and writer who serves as Chair of the Economic Security Project, a leading nonprofit advocating for economic power for all Americans. He is the author of Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy, published by Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader Press in 2025. Hughes, who was a co-founder of Facebook, holds degrees in history and economics from Harvard and The New School for Social Research and is completing his PhD at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His writing and essays have been published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Time Magazine, and others. His first book Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn was published by St Martin’s Press in 2018. He lives in New York City with his husband and two children.

Joe Weisenthal is the co-host of the Odd Lots podcast. He has previously been an anchor on BloombergTV and the head of Bloomberg's America's News Desk.

Tracy Alloway is the co-host of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast, in which she and Joe Weisenthal explore the most interesting topics in finance, markets, economics and business. Since founding the podcast in 2015, Odd Lots has gone on to become a must-listen on Wall Street and beyond, playing host to engaging conversations with a wide variety of high-profile and expert guests. In the course of almost two decades in financial journalism, Tracy’s built a reputation for smart, compelling and creative coverage. Before focusing on Odd Lots and moving back to New York, she was head of the Asia Pacific News Desk, where she helped to commission and coordinate Bloomberg journalism across the region. As an anchor in the Middle East, she covered breaking news on-air and interviewed some of the biggest power players in the region including Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, Adnoc CEO Sultan Al-Jaber, and a string of oil ministers.

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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. 

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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Courtesy Chris Hughes
Joe Weisenthal © Janelle Jones
Tracy Alloway © Janelle Jones