Corporate crookedness. Family feuding. Hilariously half-baked decisions. Host Lauren Ober tackles some of the most spectacular business failures of all time, and what could have been done to avoid them. Some of these stories are shocking. Some are funny. Some are just downright sad. But each one will give you a totally new perspective on big business… and big failure. From American Public Media.
Latest episodes
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55 min
Introducing: Ripple
We have a special episode for you today. We’re sharing an episode of the new podcast from APM Studios and Western Sound called “Ripple.”The largest oil spill in American history ca…
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12 min
Listen to This: The Loudest Girl in the World
The Loudest Girl in the World is a new podcast from that tells the story of Lauren Ober's journey to understand what the hell it means to be on the autism spectrum and how to live…
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13 min
Listen to This: What's Your Problem?
You may know Jacob Goldstein as the former host of the Planet Money podcast. Now, he’s combining his expertise about the money and business worlds with his passion for technology o…
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38 min
Sqirl finds itself in a jam
The Los Angeles restaurant Sqirl had lines down the block for brunches that featured its famous house-made jams on toast. But then a photo of discarded mold scraped from the jam, s…
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37 min
NYC Taxi Medallions' steep fare
Even before Uber and Lyft pulled into town, NYC yellow cabs were having a rough ride. Reckless lending practices and inflated taxi medallion prices racked up profits for the city a…
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43 min
Subprime times at Countrywide Financial
Before the housing bubble burst, Countrywide Financial was one of the nation’s largest home mortgage lenders. But after years of predatory lending practices, the predator went exti…
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40 min
Pan Am hits major turbulence
Pan Am made air travel cool—from chic crew uniforms to exotic locations to square-jawed flyboy pilots. But a couple of bad business deals, massive deregulation, and a devastating t…
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38 min
A dairy giant gets milked
Got milk? These days, chances are maybe not. Americans have been saying no thanks for years now, and changing consumer tastes have been bad news for what used to be the nation’s la…
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38 min
Napster fought the law and the law won
The recording industry, Metallica, and ultimately federal court put the brakes on Napster’s music file sharing. But before exiting the stage, Napster changed the way we listen to m…
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40 min
The toxic tale of the Love Canal fail
When Hooker Chemical sold its infamous toxic waste landfill to the Niagara Falls School Board, the $1 deal left Niagara residents seriously ill. But few believed the company could…
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42 min
The curtain falls on a big Broadway company
Livent was a showstopper of an operation. But eventually, forgery and fraud stole the scene, the money exited stage left, and the lead actor landed behind bars.Our sponsors this we…
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36 min
Forever 21 goes from rags to riches to bankruptcy court
The mom-and-pop fast-fashion retailer exploded into malls across the globe. But eventually, Forever 21 unraveled like the hem on a cheap crop top.Our sponsors this week:Fiverr: fiv…
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35 min
Blue Apron wilts, then rises to a new challenge
The meal kit delivery service was almost belly-up before the pandemic hit. But then people stuck cooking at home gave the brand a lifeline. Investors found it tastier than ever, bu…
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2 min
Spectacular Failures - Season Two
Spectacular Failures is back for season two, starting August 3rd! 2020 has been a year of fail. Global pandemic, check. Economic meltdown, check. Political unrest, check. Busted bu…
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42 min
Trump's big gamble on Atlantic City
By the time the final dice were thrown, Trump's Atlantic City casino operations had gone bankrupt six times. Despite that, Trump won the long game.You can follow Spectacular Failur…
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36 min
Toys R Us goes bust
No amount of nostalgia could save Toys R Us from the private equity firms that owned it.You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failu…
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37 min
Lincoln Savings loses it all
Charles Keating robbed working people of their life savings and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. All under the watch of powerful politicians.You can follow Spectacular Failures…
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36 min
The inferno that transformed American labor
The aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire helped usher in higher wages, safer conditions and a prohibition on child labor. But the problems that led to the fire haven’t…
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34 min
Family fighting sends U-Haul on a detour
Failed therapy sessions, fistfights in the board room and even murder accusations. U-Haul’s trip to bankruptcy will make you think twice about mixing business and family.You can fo…
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32 min
Kodak misses its moment
The world's largest photography company pioneers the snapshot, invents the digital camera and... declares bankruptcy.You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook usi…