Labor Secretary under President Clinton Robert Reich discusses the tariffs between the U.S. and Canada and AI’s impact on the workforce, as well as wealth taxes, the rise of populism in the U.S., and the K-shaped economy that he says is driving them both. One of the largest hurdles for AI and the data center race is power. Emerald AI CEO Varun Sivaram has built a solution in flexible power sourcing to ease strain on the grid, and backers like Samsung, Nvidia, and Salesforce have bet on his success. Plus, Bill Gates has issued a lengthy warning on AI, Stanley Druckenmiller has used AI in a Wall Street Journal Opinion piece, and OpenAI says goodbye to more top tech talent. 

Robert Reich 
Varun Sivaram 

In this episode:
Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk
Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin
Cameron Costa, @CameronCostaNY

Nvidia’s Blowout & an E-Shaped Economy 8/27/26

Squawk Pod is a daily, guided curation of the top moments and takeaways from CNBC’s flagship morning show, “Squawk Box”, anchored by Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Each day, the podcast includes news making interviews, perspective and analysis from iconic guest hosts, and slices of debate and discussion—from the heated to the hilarious— all wrapped with exclusive context and color from Senior Producer Katie Kramer.