In just two weeks, the 2016 Olympics start in Rio de Janeiro, but it’s anyone’s guess whether Brazil is ready.

The country is in the middle of a terrible recession, its president has gone through lengthy impeachment proceedings and a corruption scandal at the national oil company, Petrobras, has ended the careers of numerous politicians and well-connected insiders.

All of this is a long way from where Brazil was just a few years ago. Back then, the economy was soaring, and journalist Alex Cuadros was stationed in the country to cover its billionaires as a reporter at Bloomberg News.

He’s now written a book called “Brazillionaires: Wealth, Power and Hope in an American Country.”

Click play above to hear this interview.