Rational Perspective

When it comes to figuring out which jobs are safe from automation, one of the things that experts consider is how much your job involves dealing with other people. The idea is that machines are just not great at human relationships and that jobs that involve a lot of human interaction are safe from automation. But according to The Wall Street Journal, the most human department of all, human resources, is the next big frontier for artificial intelligence. Companies are increasingly using AI to understand employee sentiment and even to make hiring decisions. HR departments are integrating AI decision into many of their functions and it seems like even the most human-facing jobs are going to face change in the wake of brave new technologies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The S&P 500 is down about 6% over the last month, and other indices have largely followed suit. In fact, the stock market sell-off has hit virtually every market in the world. At the same time, volatility has been skyrocketing. Most of the uncertainty and selling has been driven by anxiety about trade. U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening massive tariffs on multiple products and America's biggest trade partners, including the European Union and China, have announced their planned retaliation. Many worry that trade tensions risk ending the synchronised global growth upswing before it starts and depressing the potential for stocks to deliver on their high valuations. It's a tense time for investors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we all get caught up in the day-to-day grind and it can feel like nothing changes. But when you take time to look up and examine the bigger picture, you can truly see how far we've come. In this speech, Alec Hogg lays out exactly why South Africans have every reason to be optimistic about the future of the beloved country. From government to business we are seeing important changes that, taken together, bode well for the nation's future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This edition of Rational Perspective takes a deep dive into the Zuma Kleptocracy and what comes next for SA by tapping into the considerable experience of an 81-year old undiplomatic diplomat. This is Lord Robin Renwick's ninth book. It’s called – ‘How to Steal a Country.’ Although he had a 4-year spell as Britain’s Ambassador to the United States and that would be the UK’s top, foreign posting, it was his time in Southern Africa that stirred the passion. He was the Ambassador in SA in the period leading up to and following the release of Nelson Mandela. For the 20 years since returning from the UK's Diplomatic Service he has worked on helping to attract investment to SA. He says he wrote this book because "I was worried about the way things were going and to celebrate a truly remarkable turnaround." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JOHANNESBURG — Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO and found… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U.S. president Donald Trump is a long-time Amazon critic. Lately, however, he has been tweeting up a storm about the online retail giant. Trump has criticised Amazon's relationship with the U.S. Postal Service and has complained that the company doesn't pay sales tax (it does in states that require it to). The Amazon share price has fallen in response to the attacks as investors worry about potential regulation or changes to Amazon's delivery costs. This podcast takes a look at the Trump vs Amazon fight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JOHANNESBURG — Pizza Hut made a comeback to the S… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cars are getting increasingly high tech - they now come with touchscreens, complex software, bluetooth connectivity, and plenty of automation. But with this new technology comes a host of new problems. Drivers report screens that switch off mid-drive, problems connecting, stalled software updates and a host of other issues. While it can be annoying when your new smartphone screen goes dead, when your car's touchscreen goes dead it can be a matter of life or death. In this episode, a look at the costs and benefits of high-tech cars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JOHANNESBURG — The land question in South Africa … See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite what the U.S. president thinks, trade wars are usually neither good nor easy to win. In fact, they’re usually an “everyone loses” proposition. But there are signs that fears of a global trade war may be overblown. Despite incendiary rhetoric from the U.S., diplomats from America and China are in talks to avert a trade dispute. Negotiations between the two economic giants may help stave off tit-for-tat tariffs and a decline in global trade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of its strategy to stay at the leading ed… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JOHANNESBURG — Internet and media giant Naspers c… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook has come under heavy fire after revelations emerged about the uses to which Facebook user data has been put. Whatever you may think about the story, it’s crystal clear that Facebook has, at best, a very cavalier attitude towards users’ privacy. The company seems happy to give anyone with a $10 ad budget access to its data treasure trove and make no mistake – studies show that Facebook knows as much about you as your spouse does. Some people think that, as long as they aren’t doing anything shameful, it’s OK for their information to be shared freely. But mounting evidence shows that our politics and democracy are being systematically manipulated by companies that are using our Facebook information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After an Uber self-driving car hit and killed a pedestrian in Arizona, some people are asking if self-driving cars are truly ready to be out on the streets. While some states in America ban self-driving cars, many are allowing them to be tested on public roads. But is the technology really ready? In this podcast, The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the state of the tech and its track record. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2016, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. There have been relatively few changes to LinkedIn since the acquisition – Microsoft has seemed content to allow the professional networking platform to do its own thing. But LinkedIn is under rising pressure to get its users more engaged. So the network is trying a range of different tactics to get people to come by more often. How often do you visit LinkedIn? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've been following the saga of the president and the porn star, you'll know that adult actress Stormy Daniels has claimed to have had an affair with U.S. president Donald Trump. Trump has denied the affair, and there is a lawsuit underway over a non-disclosure agreement that allegedly prevents Daniels – her real name is Stephanie Gregory Clifford – from discussing the affair. It’s a peculiar situation. Trump has said there was no affair, which makes it unclear what the non-disclosure agreement prevents Daniels from discussing. Trump also didn’t sign the agreement – it was signed by “David Dennison,” an alleged pseudonym of Trump’s – so it’s not clear that he can be legally protected by it. In fact, the whole thing is a mare’s nest. Luckily, this podcast explains what you need to know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook has lost about $60 billion in market cap so far this week on the back of startling revelations about the misuse of user data. But the problem runs deeper than some missteps with Cambridge Analytica. Facebook has been under fire for around two years for a related string of scandals ranging from fake news to election meddling to privacy blunders. On Wednesday, the founder of WhatsApp, which Facebook purchased a few years ago for $19 billion told his Twitter followers that it's time to delete Facebook. The basic problem, it seems, is that Facebook cannot be trusted. More and more users are holding back on Facebook, unsure of how safe or sensible it is to share information with the company or to believe information they see on the platform. This has the potential to be a more serious, long-term problem than this week’s share price correction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JOHANNESBURG — Two goliath legal experts are biti… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've known Magnus Heystek from virtually the first day I went into financial journalism as a 20 year old back in 1980. We worked for the same publishing house and although never served the same title simultaneously, had parallel careers for a couple decades before he branched out into the financial advisory field. The owner of a cultivated pen and an ordered mind, Heystek was among the first high profile commentators to recommend that South Africans diversify their assets into the global arena, adding huge value to his client portfolios. From an Afrikaner background, he is also closely connected to this sector, including the farming community. In this fascinating podcast he shares their fears over the pressures of land expropriation, explains how many farmers are reacting and shares what he is suggesting that they should do about the situation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special podcast is brought to you by RMB. Ew… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.