How Trump’s tariffs actually work on the ground

Decoder with Nilay Patel

One of the ways I’ve been trying to sort out the chaos of tariffs and trade wars is by talking to the people behind the software that makes the global trade system go. So today I wanted to bring back one of my favorite Decoder guests: Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen, whose software manages the logistics of moving things around the world, from factory to doorstep.

We didn’t get too much into the numbers — those tariff percentages keep changing — so instead Ryan and I really focused on how this system works, how it’s supposed to work, and how it’s working now, if it’s working at all.

Links:

• Flexport Tariff Live Blog | Flexport
• US tariffs: how Trump’s tax is hitting Big Tech and beyond | Verge
• How much will Trump’s tariffs cost U.S. importers? | NYT
• How much are tariffs on Chinese goods? It’s tricky | NYT
• How Trump’s tariff chaos is already changing global trade | Decoder
• Can software simplify the supply chain? Ryan Petersen thinks so | Decoder
• Why Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen took his company back | Decoder
• The U.S.-China decoupling arrives | Axios

Credits:

Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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