Rule of the billionaires: Jon Nelson hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which is a re-broadcast of a show from Against the Grain.
The rich have not been so powerful and mind-bogglingly wealthy since the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. Yet their grip on society has often been shrouded in a veil of adulation, enabled by a media that celebrates them rather than holding them to account. Economist Rob Larson discusses the multimillionaire and billionaire class, how they rule, and how to fight against them. Rob Larson is author of Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More (Haymarket, 2024). The World Inequality Database also provides information. This segment originally aired on Against the Grain on March 12, 2025.
Against the Grain is a weekly radio show hosted and produced by Sasha Lilley and C.S Soong on KPFA Pacifica Radio in Berkley, California. It’s a program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on political, economic, social, and cultural issues important to radical thinking and activism.