Economist Nouriel Roubini "Twitter and the Other Platforms Are Bad, Facebook Is Worse" Star economist Nouriel Roubini believes that President-elect Joseph Biden's first term will be overshadowed by civil unrest at home and cyberattacks from abroad. He believes social media platforms must be more strictly regulated. Interview Conducted by Tim Bartz
Skiing in the Pandemic Alpine Rivalries Flare amid Resort Closures While Austria and Switzerland want to keep their ski lifts in operation, Germany, France and Italy are worried about superspreader events in winter paradise. Billions of euros are at stake. By Walter Mayr und Britta Sandberg
Vaccine-Maker BioNTech A Small German Biotech Company Hopes to Make the Leap to Global Player The Germany company BioNTech has achieved a breakthrough with its COVID-19 vaccine. Now it is faced with the task of becoming a global corporation, but it faces stiff competition from Big Pharma. By Tim Bartz, Markus Brauck, Martin U. Müller und Thomas Schulz
FT Reporter on the Downfall of Wirecard Head “I Asked Him Directly Whether He Was a Fraud” Financial Times journalist Dan McCrum exposed the scandal at former German blue-chip company Wirecard. In an interview, he discusses how he discovered widespread fraud at the firm. Interview Conducted By Tim Bartz und Martin Hesse
World Bank Chief Economist Reinhart on the COVID Crisis “Many Businesses Are In Sectors That Arent't Going To Recover” In an interview, Carmen Reinhart, the World Bank’s chief economist, discusses why she considers rapid economic recovery to be an illusion and how the right debt-spending policies can help in the fight against growing poverty. Von Isabell Hülsen und Benjamin Bidder
Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau "We Now Need a Growth-Friendly Agenda" Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau is optimistic about the future despite the second wave of the coronavirus. And he is full of praise for Germany. Interview Conducted by Tim Bartz und Michael Sauga
An SOS in the Corona Crisis Cruise Industry Battles for Survival in the Pandemic Around 400 ships have been temporarily mothballed around the world as a result of the coronavirus. Many companies are resuming limited operations, but it will be years before the industry returns to anything resembling normality. By Antje Blinda, Dinah Deckstein, Alexander Kühn und Martin U. Müller
The Future of Electric Tesla Joins the Race for the Next-Gen Battery China, Japan and South Korea have long been in the lead when it comes to car battery technology. With new technologies and better production methods, Tesla now wants to change that. Germany is falling behind. By Philip Bethge
The Tesla Factory Near Berlin Elon Musk Shows the Germans How to Move Quickly Tesla is racing ahead with construction of its new factory just outside of Berlin. All that's left for German carmakers is to watch and learn. By Markus Dettmer, Simon Hage und Michael Kröger
Monetary Policy Expert David Marsh "We Are Witnessing the End of Independent Central Banks" Former investment banker David Marsh is critical of the European Central Bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve for having transformed themselves into political instruments. Inflation, he says, isn't dead - and it will come back. Interview Conducted by Tim Bartz
Corona Plastic Boom The Myth of German Recycling The coronavirus has triggered an uptick in the use of plastic, with consumers turning to disposable cutlery and home deliveries. But Germany's recycling system, already facing problems, has proven unable to cope. By Nils Klawitter
Corona in the Slaughterhouse The High Price of Cheap Meat German slaughterhouses have been hit recently with horrifying coronavirus outbreaks, with over 1,000 cases in one facility. The industry, and its biggest players, share the blame. Change could be coming. By DER SPIEGEL Staff
Interview with ECB Vice President "Faced With This Big Drop in GDP and Inflation, We Had to Act" The European Central Bank's bond-buying program has been heavily criticized in Germany. But ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos says it is a necessity in these times of crisis. He also praises the German response to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Interview Conducted by Tim Bartz und Stefan Kaiser
Interview with Economist Nouriel Roubini "The Stock Market Is Deluding Itself" Prominent American economist Nouriel Roubini does not believe the global economy will recover quickly. He believes that the dire situation will produce a summer of protest in the U.S. and years of difficulties in Europe as well. Interview Conducted by Tim Bartz
Generation Coronavirus Economic Scars for Decades to Come Companies in Germany were practically begging 20- to 30-year-olds to come work for them. Then came the coronavirus, destroying health, lives and jobs. It will take decades for this generation to catch up economically.
The Path Out of the Lockdown German Carmakers Prepare To Ramp Up Production German carmakers are going to have to open up their factories and car dealerships again soon – otherwise they could face a widespread collapse. And that would be disastrous for the German economy. By Simon Hage
“We Can Hold Out Longer” Lufthansa’s CEO on How Coronavirus Has Radically Upended the Aviation Industry The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted massive damage on the aviation industry. But Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr says that the German flag carrier is in a good position to survive, even if it will take several years for the industry to recover. Interview Conducted by Dinah Deckstein und Martin U. Müller
Corona Shockwave Half a Million German Companies Have Sent Employees into Short-Time Work The corona crisis has hit the German economy at full force. Already, 470,000 applications have been filed for a German government subsidy that prevents employees from getting laid off, 20 times more than the previous record during the 2009 financial crisis. By Florian Diekmann
Worse than Lehman Coronavirus Tightens Its Grip on the Economy It is an unprecedented crisis: The coronavirus pandemic is crippling entire economies, while governments and central banks are deploying all means available to prevent a systemic collapse. How long can we hold out?
Corona Virus and the Working World What Employees in Germany Need To Know About Their Rights Am I required to work if I can't find alternative childcare with daycare centers now closed? Will I still get my salary? What happens to my health insurance? Answers to the most pressing questions about labor law in times of the coronavirus. By Dietmar Hipp