What's driving up the cost of buying a house?
Aug 3, 2026 · 6m
Summary
This episode examines rising mortgage rates, now at 6.66%, driven by inflationary pressures from the AI boom and geopolitical shocks. It also explores how AI-driven search results are reducing web traffic for publishers, threatening the open internet. Correspondents Mitchell Hartman and Megan McCarty Carino discuss the economic impacts on homebuyers and the shifting digital landscape for content creators.
Topics discussed
Rising mortgage rates and economic factors
Optum healthcare advertisement
Arizona State University online programs
Google's AI search and revenue growth
Impact of AI summaries on website traffic
Google's response to traffic loss claims
Challenges for smaller publishers and Wikipedia
Proposed solutions for internet monetization
Closing remarks and listener questions
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