What Happens When the Lights Go Out?

What Happens When the Lights Go Out?

Author: Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts June 20, 2023 Duration: 44:10

We all take for granted that nifty little miracle that happens when we flip a switch on our walls or lamps – the lights go on. Electricity is a modern marvel. It’s the juice that fuels much of what people mean when they talk about “civilization.” When we lose access to electricity, we feel the pain immediately. What we’re used to doing collides with what we suddenly can’t do. Now consider South Africa: the second-largest economy on the African continent and home to 61 million people. The entire country has faced rolling blackouts for about 15 years. How can that be? And what does the present and future hold for a country that doesn’t have a reliable source of electricity? During a trip to South Africa, Tim spoke with Paul Burkhardt, an energy reporter with Bloomberg News in Cape Town, and Olga Constantatos, a South African investor who has spent years watching the power crisis escalate in her country. 

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Tim O'Brien, a senior executive editor at Bloomberg Opinion, hosts this weekly Crash Course from Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts. Instead of observing from the sidelines, each episode places you directly inside the high-stakes environments where major disruptions in business and society actually unfold. The narrative-driven podcast examines what happens when powerful forces-like raw ambition and innovative thinking-meet immovable objects like entrenched competition and institutional power. These collisions aren't abstract; they happen in the very real worlds of Wall Street trading floors, Main Street small businesses, Hollywood studios, and the corridors of Washington, D.C. By dissecting these pivotal moments, the series uncovers the practical, often surprising lessons that emerge from the chaos. It’s a deep dive into the mechanics of change, offering clarity on how today’s upheavals shape tomorrow’s landscape. You’ll hear detailed stories and analysis that go beyond the headlines to explain the why and how behind the news, making complex power struggles accessible and compelling.
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