Freakonomics Radio Network Launches A New Podcast: The Economics of Everyday Things 

Who actually makes money when gas prices rise? How did Girl Scout cookies become a billion-dollar business? What does it cost to create a successful sports mascot?

Those questions – and many more – will be answered on The Economics of Everyday Things, a new weekly podcast launching from the Freakonomics Radio Network. Each episode uncovers the hidden side of the things that surround us in daily life. The show is hosted by Zachary Crockett, a veteran business and tech reporter, formerly a founding writer of The Hustle newsletter; the show will be produced by Sarah Lilley. The Freakonomics Radio Network now has four podcasts in production and 18 employees, an all-time high.

The Economics of Everyday Things recently piloted four episodes, investigating things like the afterlife of used hotel soap and the economics of the hit song “My Sharona.” The pilot episodes were downloaded nearly half a million times, as the show reached the number-one spot on the Apple Podcasts Business chart and the top 20 of the overall chart. Now, following a flood of emails and messages from fans requesting more, the show has made its official debut with an episode on professional sports mascots.

“Zachary is a great storyteller and, more important, a great reporter, with an eye for detail and a deep sense of humanity,” says Freakonomics Radio Network founder Stephen Dubner. “I think Everyday Things is going to be beloved for years.”

Host Crockett says, “As a longtime Freakonomics Radio listener, I’m thrilled to be joining the Freakonomics Radio Network team and extremely excited about the places this new show will take us.”

You can find The Economics of Everyday Things here and on all podcast platforms. New episodes will be released every Sunday evening at 8:00 PM E.T.

About The Economics of Everyday Things and Zachary Crockett

On the new podcast The Economics of Everyday Things, Zachary Crockett examines the hidden side of the things that most people overlook each day. Crockett has reported on business and technology for 10 years, with a longstanding interest in exploring the extraordinary in the ordinary. Most recently, Crockett created and wrote The Hustle’s Sunday newsletter, where he broke down the economics of things like rare aquarium fish and all-you-can-eat buffets. He also served as the anchor host of The Hustle Daily Show podcast. Prior to that, he was a reporter at Vox and a staff writer at Priceonomics. He has co-authored two books, optioned numerous stories for film and television, and — in the distant past — played guitar in a swamp rock band. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

About Freakonomics Radio Network

Founded in 2010, Freakonomics Radio remains one of the world’s most popular podcasts. The show also airs weekly on nearly 300 public radio stations. As the flagship show of the Freakonomics Radio Network, it has been joined in recent years by No Stupid Questions, which explores the weird and wonderful ways in which humans behave, with research psychologist Angela Duckworth; and People I (Mostly) Admire, where Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt interviews other unorthodox high achievers. In 2022, the network’s podcasts had nearly 150 million downloads.