Business, Science & Tech

Annals of Justice

Why Corrupt Bankers Avoid Jail

Prosecution of white-collar crime is at a twenty-year low.

The Latest

Hypnotized by Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

What purpose do vacuum-tube trains and other futuristic projects really serve?

5:29 P.M.

Vote for Ugly

Scientists and philosophers have long recognized the existence of a so-called beauty premium. But can homeliness pay, too?

July 19, 2017

Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

The publicity-averse Mirzakhani, who died Friday, is the only woman ever to win the Fields Medal, math’s highest honor.

July 17, 2017

Are New York Taxis Such a Bad Investment?

The city’s cabs are under threat from Uber and other ride-hailing apps, but they could have a future.

July 17, 2017

The Strange Defense of Martin Shkreli

Whatever lines Shkreli crossed, his defense team seems to suggest, he should be excused if his investors ultimately ended up making money in the process.

July 17, 2017
More Stories
Spotlight

How to Travel Like a Millionaire

The credit-card-rewards guru the Points Guy insists that we’re in a “golden age” of travel—if you know how to game the system.

Why Spies Love Business

Trump, Jr.,’s meeting is an example of how enterprise and espionage go hand in hand.

Are New York Taxis Such a Bad Investment?

The city’s cabs are under threat from Uber and other ride-hailing apps, but they could have a future.

What the Enron E-mails Say About Us

Scholars have spent years analyzing the corporation’s vast digital archive. What have they discovered?

The New Yorker explores science, tech, and our changing world. Follow @elements on Twitter. »

Video

Wet Paint

Why are there are so many “Wet Paint” signs in the subway? Henry, a Belgian expat, investigates.

On the Job

The Hardworking Immigrant Who Made Good

After a few interviews in which I saw my interlocutor flick his eyes over my résumé and register that I had no relevant experience, I decided to start lying.

The Countess’s Private Secretary

Although she told me often how much she liked and admired me, I was unmistakably a servant.

The Work You Do, the Person You Are

The pleasure of being necessary to my parents was profound. I was not like the children in folktales: burdensome mouths to feed.

Brush Clearing with Teen-Age Boys in Arkansas

I was management—tasked and poorly paid to get down among ’em and impart the skills of swing-blade, of scythe, of axe and hatchet.

The Weekly Cartoon

“This is a teaching hospital.”