Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Remember when driving a Prius was basically a personality trait? Turns out "saving the planet" and "wanting people to see you saving the planet" have always been doing a lot of the same work.

Lou and Phil get into the economics of conspicuous consumption—the Prius-to-Tesla pipeline, the subsidies greasing the wheels, and what happens when an eco-friendly car's CEO stops signaling the virtues everyone thought they were buying.

Full episode of Happy Hour Econ is out now—give it a listen. Here on YouTube! youtube.com/@HappyHourEcon