Middlegarchs are the new Oligarchs
Planet Money
- Published
- September 25, 2026
- Duration
- 30:43
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Oct 21, 2026
Discusses Wanna know who is really in the top 1%? And how they use their influence? It may not be who you thin…
Summary
Wanna know who is really in the top 1%? And how they use their influence? It may not be who you think.Look beyond Silicon Valley. Look beyond Wall Street. Look beyond the “oligarchs”. There's a much larger class of wealthy Americans hiding in plain sight. And, often, they got rich in mundane ways. They own car dealerships. They sell hot dogs and frozen mi…
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Show notes
Wanna know who is really in the top 1%? And how they use their influence? It may not be who you think.Look beyond Silicon Valley. Look beyond Wall Street. Look beyond the “oligarchs”. There's a much larger class of wealthy Americans hiding in plain sight. And, often, they got rich in mundane ways. They own car dealerships. They sell hot dogs and frozen mini-quiches. They run waxing salons. They supply fabricated metal and urinal cakes. They are dentists.Collectively, these "Main Street millionai