Why the Pentagon Is Hiring Wall Street Bankers

Key Takeaways

• •

  The Pentagon’s financial pivot - The Department of Defense is increasingly recruiting Wall Street talent to weaponize capital and manage economic defense strategies.

• •

  The $10 billion TikTok fee - The Trump administration’s move to collect a massive brokerage fee for the TikTok deal signals a new era of government-driven private equity logic.

• •

  The convergence at SXSW - Cultural and tech festivals are evolving into critical indicators for how geopolitics, media, and finance will intersect in the coming years.

Episode Description

Ed Elson speaks with Liz Hoffman about the Defense Department’s new economic defense unit. Then he is joined by Miriam Gottfried to discuss the $10 billion fee the Trump administration received for brokering the TikTok deal. Finally, Ed shares his reflections on his time at SXSW.  Miriam Gottfried is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Liz Hoffman is Semafor’s Business and Finance Editor, and host of Compound Interest. Check out our latest Prof G Markets newsletter Follow Prof G Markets on Instagram Follow Ed on Instagram, X and Substack Follow Scott on Instagram Send us your questions or comments by emailing Markets@profgmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices