<p>Tim Cook is stepping down after overseeing 15 years of spectacular growth. We take a look at <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2026/04/21/tim-cook-hands-apple-over-to-its-hardware-guru?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his successor</a>. Japan’s rural women are disproportionately heading to cities, and their home towns are <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/04/01/why-women-more-than-men-are-abandoning-rural-japan?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">working hard</a> to lure them back. And a historical examination of boredom, and why Britons have perhaps less of it <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/05/britons-are-less-bored-than-they-used-to-be-this-is-bad?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">than they should</a>.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Tom Lee-Devlin, business editor</li><li>Moeka Iida, Japan reporter</li><li>Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent</li><li>Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Apple, technology, CEO, John Ternus</li><li>Japan, demographics</li><li>Britain, boredom</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>