Policy, trade & tariffs
Building the business
1,202 episodes across 41 shows cover policy, trade & tariffs. The shows that cover it most are Catalyst, EMS@C-LEVEL and EE Times Current. The most recent, from 12 Oct 2026, is “Unpacking Marvell's Analyst Day, OpenAI Revenue Rumors, and the Heterogeneous Rack” from The Circuit.
Government and economics affecting physical products: tariffs, trade, industrial policy, incentives, regulation beyond product certification.
1202 episodes from 41 shows, most relevant and most recent first.
1202 episodes
How data centers are complicating transmission expansion
Maeve Allsup, a senior reporter at Latitude Media, discusses the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL), a $960 million transmission line approved by PJM in 2022 that is now facing significant delays due to multi-state cost allocation…
239 - ICH Q11 in 6 Minutes
Subhi Saadeh, founder of Let’s Combinate, breaks down ICH Q11 guidelines for drug-device combination products, focusing on three key sections: manufacturing process development, starting materials, and control strategy. He explains how the…
Where it comes up0:00
The Hard Truths About Reshoring American Manufacturing w/ Eddy Azad
Eddy Azad, CEO of Parsec Automation, discusses the strategic realities of reshoring manufacturing to the United States, arguing that it is a long-term, complex process rather than a simple cost-saving switch. He explains that reshoring…
239 - ICH Q12: What’s Binding? Established Conditions and Post-Approval Changes
Subhi Saadeh, founder of Let’s Combinate, explains ICH Q12, a guideline for managing post-approval changes in pharmaceutical products. He details the distinction between legally binding 'Established Conditions' (ECs) and non-binding…
Where it comes up0:00
Who benefits from the AI power bottleneck?
Shanu Mathew, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Lazard, analyzes the conflicting incentives of various actors in the AI energy supply chain regarding the 'power bottleneck' narrative. He explains how hyperscalers like…
Five big questions emerging from the OBBB
Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners, joins Shayle Kann to analyze the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (OBBB) and its impact on the energy transition. They discuss five key areas: the Foreign Entity of Concern…
Leveraging Government as Regulator, Funder and Customer w/ Terry Szmagala
Terry Szmagala, Founder of TGS Advisory and former EVP/General Counsel at Eaton Corporation, argues that manufacturers should view government as a key stakeholder rather than a nuisance. He outlines three specific roles government plays…
Trade, Tariffs and Trust: The Case for a Global Electronics Policy Council, with Chris Mitchell
Chris Mitchell, Vice President for Global Government Relations at the Global Electronics Association, explains the creation of the Global Electronics Policy Council (GEPC) as a new mechanism for global electronics companies to engage with…
S3 E2: Export, Import, Tariffs, and Trade Compliance for Hardware Startups with Gabrielle Griffith
Gabrielle Griffith, Director at BPE Global, explains the critical importance of HTS codes, country of origin, and substantial transformation for hardware startups navigating global trade. She details how tariffs are calculated based on…
242: Industrial History and the Low-Carbon Economy of the Future with Ted Fertik, VP of Manufacturing & Industrial Policy at BlueGreen Alliance
Ted Fertik, VP of Manufacturing & Industrial Policy at the BlueGreen Alliance, discusses the intersection of industrial history, policy, and the low-carbon economy. He draws on his PhD in economic history to analyze past industrial…
New Mexico proves America can still build [partner content]
Rob Black, New Mexico's Secretary of Economic Development, and Jim Kenney, Secretary of the Environment Department, explain how their state is accelerating clean energy and deep-tech manufacturing through a 'white glove' government…
#190 - Tariffs 2.0: Hotpot Queen, Fila Manila & Circle Beverage
Host Daniel Scharff speaks with Jia Liao of Hotpot Queen, Jake Deleon of Fila Manila, and Matt Whiteside of Circle Beverage about the impact of new tariffs on CPG brands. Jia Liao details how a 54% tariff hike on her China-manufactured…
Inside PCBAA's Fight for American Circuit Board Manufacturing
David Schild, Executive Director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA), discusses the organization's advocacy for H.R. 3597, the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act, to secure tax incentives for domestic PCB…
Defunding of the MEPs and How YOU Can Help Stop It: A Special Episode
Paul Van Metre of ProShop ERP, Nick Goellner of Advanced Machine & Engineering, Meaghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing, Mike Payne of Hill Manufacturing, and Jim Mayer of The Manufacturing Connector discuss the critical threat of…
Unpacking DOE's proposal to transform data center interconnection
Host Shayle Kann speaks with Allison Clements, former FERC commissioner and partner at ASG, and Tyler Norris, a PhD student at Duke University, to analyze Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s directive to FERC to fast-track interconnection…
How climate disasters are shaping insurance markets
Dr. Judd Boomhower, an assistant professor of economics at UC San Diego and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, explains why homeowners insurance markets are destabilizing due to climate change. He details…
BONUS: MEPs are at Risk of Losing Funding and Need Your Help
Host Chris Luecke introduces a bonus episode featuring Paul Van Meter, Nick Golner, and Mike Payne from Making Chips, Megan Zimba from Mavens of Manufacturing, and Jim Mayer from Manufacturing Culture discussing the defunding of the…
Bonus: Tariffs 101 with Aaron Alpeter
Aaron Alpeter, founder of supply chain consultancy Izba, explains the mechanics and strategic objectives of recent US tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China. He details how these tariffs, justified by national emergency clauses in…
Bonus Episode: Resilient Supply Chains for Robotics (ERF 2026)
Claire Asher interviews Carolina Domation, Sanford Dickert, and Agatha Sua at the European Robotics Forum 2026, discussing the urgent need for resilient robotics supply chains in Europe. The guests highlight vulnerabilities in sourcing…
Episode 101 Part 1: Discussion with Jordan Schneider (ChinaTalk) on New Semi Regulations
Jordan Schneider, founder of China Talk, joins Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg to analyze the Biden administration's new semiconductor export controls targeting China. They discuss three key regulatory pillars: tightened restrictions on…
AMA: Fuel cells, geopolitics, and the solar growth curve
Shayle Kann, host of Catalyst and investor at Energy Impact Partners, discusses the surprising bipartisan backlash to data center growth, noting that local community opposition has moved faster than expected. He highlights Bloom Energy's…
The Quiet Cut That's Loudly Threatening Small Manufacturing
Paul, Nick, Mike, Jim, and Megan discuss the imminent defunding of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) network by NIST, a public-private partnership that supports small manufacturers. The guests share specific success stories…
Mayan-on-Chip: Training Mexico's Next Semiconductor Engineers
Nasska Medrano of Altium Education and Professor Johan Estrada of the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY) discuss the Mayan-on-Chip initiative, a workforce development program in southeastern Mexico designed to train engineers in…
RTO or GTFO
Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal revisit their 2021 discussion on remote work, analyzing Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's recent return-to-office (RTO) mandate and Broadcom's stricter 5-day in-office policy. Guests Matt Amdur and Chris share…
Are utilities ready to fully harness demand flexibility? [partner content]
Scott Engstrom, co-founder and chief customer officer at GridX, discusses with host Stephen Lacey why utilities are shifting from supply-side decarbonization to demand flexibility. Engstrom explains how time-varying rates and complex rate…
Inside the most sophisticated plan for solar geoengineering
Yanai Yedvab, CEO and co-founder of Stardust Solutions, explains the company's proprietary solar radiation management (SRM) technology, which uses biodegradable amorphous silica and calcite particles instead of toxic sulfuric acid to cool…
EMS & The Economist - Tariffs Special - April 13th, 2025
IPC Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac joins host Philip Stoten to analyze the rapid evolution of US tariff policy, noting a shift from country-specific to sectorial tariffs targeting electronics regardless of origin. DuBravac explains that…
EMS & The Economist: Liberation Day Shockwaves, Tariffs and Global Trade Disruptions
Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist of IPC, joins host Philip Stoten to analyze the economic shockwaves from the White House's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcements, which impose rates of 46% on Vietnamese goods and 34% on Chinese imports…
Inside IPC: The Electronics Industry Fights for Stability in Washington with Richard Cappetto
Richard Cappetto, Senior Director of North American Government Relations at IPC, discusses the electronics industry's struggle for policy stability amidst aggressive US trade tariffs and regulatory uncertainty. He explains how IPC is…
237: How Higher Education Is Shaping the Future of Manufacturing with MIT's Dr. John Liu
Dr. John Liu, Principal Investigator of MIT’s LEAP Group, discusses how higher education is reshaping manufacturing through programs like MicroMasters and TechAMP. He explains MIT's historical role in formalizing lean manufacturing and…
The geopolitics of rare earth elements
Ahmad Ghahreman, co-founder and CEO of Cyclic Materials, explains the geopolitical dominance of China in the rare earth element (REE) supply chain and the recent escalation of export controls. He details how China controls 90% of…
Robotics in Review: Editors look back at 2025
The Robot Report editorial team, including Steve Crowe, Gene Demaitre, Mike Oitzman, and Brianna Wessling, reviews the major robotics industry shifts of 2025, highlighting $3.5 billion in humanoid funding and the rise of physical AI. They…
Shootout at the CNCF Corral
Bryan Cantrill, Adam Leventhal, Rachel Stephens, and Adam Jacob discuss the public dispute between Synadia and the CNCF regarding the NATS project, focusing on the failed attempt to withdraw the project and the resulting trademark…
From Make-Use-Throw Away to Circular: Plastics Manufacturing’s Next Chapter w/ Ross Eisenberg
Ross Eisenberg, President of America’s Plastic Makers (the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council), discusses the industry's shift from a linear 'make-use-throw away' model to a circular economy driven by advanced chemical…
Frontier Forum: Why clean energy capital boomed in a volatile year [partner content]
Alfred Johnson, CEO of Crux, and Katie Bays, Head of Research at Crux, discuss the resilience of the clean energy capital market in 2025, noting that total capital expenditures reached approximately $120 billion despite policy volatility…
Building a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain
Scott Nolan, CEO of General Matter, explains the five-step nuclear fuel supply chain, highlighting enrichment as the critical bottleneck where the US relies heavily on European and Russian sources. He details the distinction between Low…
The PCB Supply Chain Squeeze - A C-Level Special with Confidee's Raymond Goh and TLT's Vytautas Ilgunas
Raymond Goh of Confidee and Vytautas Ilgunas of TLT PCB discuss the severe PCB supply chain squeeze driven by AI server demand and upstream material shortages. They explain how capacity loss in European laminate manufacturing, combined…
IPC at Electronica 24: Strategic Collaboration and Self-Reliance in a Global Market
Alison James, Senior Director of Europe Government Relations at IPC, discusses the strategic collaboration between the electronics industry and the European Commission at Electronica 2024. She highlights the importance of the electronic…
219 - FDA PreCheck and the Future of Inspections: PAI to Pre-Readiness
Host Subhi Saadeh and guest Ben Locwin discuss the FDA's evolving approach to Pre-Approval Inspections (PAIs) and Pre-License Inspections (PLIs), focusing on the industry's push to decouple inspection timing from approval decisions to…
State of the Industry: Semiconductor Insiders Discuss the Ambitions and Realities of the CHIPS Act
Rich Simoncic of Microchip Technology, Russ Garcia of Menlo Micro, and Michael Knight of Endries International discuss the CHIPS Act's impact on US semiconductor manufacturing. They highlight the 'valley of death' for R&D, the critical…
Frontier Forum: How VPPs earn grid-scale trust [partner content]
Stacy Phillips, Managing Director of Customer Load Management at Duke Energy, and Seth Frader-Thompson, President and Co-founder of EnergyHub, discuss how virtual power plants (VPPs) have evolved from traditional demand response into…
Episode 77: Asia Semis Tour
Jay Goldberg, who recently toured China's semiconductor and electronics sector, discusses the mixed economic sentiment, the impact of US sanctions, and the rapid expansion of local manufacturing capabilities. He highlights Huawei's…
EP 132: NVIDIA Earnings + Ben's Thesis Time and Those Lumpy ASICs
Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze Nvidia's recent earnings, focusing on the uncertainty surrounding its China sales strategy, the interpretation of Jensen Huang's $3-4 trillion cumulative infrastructure forecast, and the competitive…
PCBs, Global Innovation Policy & the CHIPS Act
Stephen Ezell, VP of Global Innovation Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), discusses the CHIPS and Science Act, explaining how US policy aims to counter China's industrial strategy and restore…
Explaining the ‘Watt-Bit Spread’
Brian Janous, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Cloverleaf Infrastructure, explains the 'Watt-Bit Spread,' a heuristic describing the high value of electricity for AI data centers relative to its current low market price. He…
Frontier Forum: Is America’s green bank ready?
Amanda Li of Banyan Infrastructure and Billy Briscoe of the Clean Energy Fund of Texas discuss the operational challenges of deploying the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). They emphasize the urgent need for standardized…
Ep. 19: When A Robot Enters Your Home, Physical Safety Is Only Half The Battle
Sara Filipcic, Founder & Executive Director of the Institute for Humane Robotics, discusses the emerging field of psychosocial safety in human-robot interaction. She explains how companion robots and humanoids can create unhealthy…
EMS & The Economist Deep Dive: The Real-World Impact of Tariffs, with IPC Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac
Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist at IPC, discusses the real-world impact of tariffs on the electronics and automotive industries, analyzing how US and EU measures have shifted production from China to countries like Mexico, Vietnam, and…
211 - Inside FDA’s Office of Combination Products: History, PMOA, and What’s Next for Combination Products with Mark Kramer
Mark Kramer, founding director of the FDA’s Office of Combination Products (OCP) and now Principal at Eliquent Life Sciences, explains the history and regulatory framework for combination products in the U.S. He details how the 1990 Safe…
#265: Marion Nestle on Food Politics and the Cereal Aisle
Marion Nestle, Professor Emerita at NYU and author of 'Sugar Coated: Unboxing the Hidden Forces Shaping America's Favorite Breakfast Food,' discusses the history of cereal marketing with host Daniel Scharff. She explains how Kellogg's…