Business Wars
632 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 12.2K ratingsNetflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live.
Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.
New episodes come out Wednesdays for free. Binge new full seasons early and ad-free, plus get exclusive past seasons, only with Wondery+.
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Episodes
Gibson vs Fender - Les Pauls Unleashed | 4
July 01, 2019 07:05 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBIn the 1960s, rock'n roll's popularity continues to grow. But one of the genre's most popular guitars, the Les Paul, is no longer being made. Now the guitar's namesake must convince an out-of-touch Gibson to put the favorite guitar of Eric Clapton and Keith Richards back into production. Meanwhile, Gibson's rival Fender has a new parent company: CBS. Thanks to their deep corporate pockets, Fender is manufacturing and selling more guitars than ever. To keep pace, Gibson also finds ...
Gibson vs Fender - The Stratocaster Blasts Off | 3
June 26, 2019 07:05 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBGibson's Les Paul sets a new standard for the solid-body electric guitar, and rival guitar maker Fender needs to respond. The company does so in 1954 with a sleek, futuristic guitar unlike anything else on the market: the Stratocaster. It's a hit. With their higher volume and heavier tones, the Les Paul and Stratocaster help give rise to a new style of music: rock 'n' roll. It opens up a whole new market for electric guitars -- but which company will dominate? Support us by sup...
Gibson vs Fender - Loud and Clear | 2
June 24, 2019 07:05 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBIt's 1950, and Fender's first solid-body guitar, the Esquire, is the laughingstock of the music industry. To guitar makers used to elegantly made hollow-body guitars, Fender's thin, simple plank of solid wood is a joke. But its bright, powerful sound and lack of feedback make it a hit with guitar players. Gibson's ambitious young president, Ted McCarty, knows his company has to counter with a solid-body electric guitar of its own. To market the instrument, Gibson will turn to the m...
Gibson vs Fender - Les and Leo | 1
June 19, 2019 07:05 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBIn the 1930s and ’40s the market for electric guitars is growing, but it’s hindered by the instruments’ flawed designs. But a small group of mavericks is rethinking the guitar for the electronic age. One of them, guitarist Les Paul, tries unsuccessfully to convince one of America's oldest guitar companies, Gibson, to mass-produce his "Log" — one of the first solid-body electric guitars. Gibson turns him down flat. But when a radio repairman turned inventor named Leo Fender sees Pau...
Anheuser-Busch vs Miller - Fighting the Crocodile | 6
June 17, 2019 07:05 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIt’s a new century and the beer industry is changing fast. Beyond America, new brewery empires are forming and they want to buy their way into the lucrative U.S. market. And Miller is the first to fall, bought out by a South African company that wants to pull the Milwaukee brewery out of the doldrums. But Anheuser-Busch isn’t worried. It’s the biggest brewer on the planet by some margin. But the king of beers is about to discover that its throne isn’t as secure as it thinks. Supp...
Anheuser-Busch vs Miller - Surprise Attack Dog | 5
June 12, 2019 07:05 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIt’s the 1980s and Miller’s glory days are over. Drinkers are deserting High Life and Anheuser-Busch is about to launch a $50 million attack on Miller Lite. With the pressure mounting, Miller hunts for a way to revive its momentum. It’s a search that see the company travel to Japan, disguise itself as a microbrewery, and go head hunting. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privac...
Anheuser-Busch vs Miller - Miller Killers | 4
June 10, 2019 07:05 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBIt’s the late 1970s and Miller is hurtling towards the top of the brewing industry on the back of High Life and Lite. Anheuser-Busch’s new leader August Busch III knows he must act fast to stop the threat. But before he can do that there’s internal problems that need fixing. A strike has shut down the company’s breweries and threatening to leave the business disunited and demoralized at the worst possible moment. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https:...
Anheuser-Busch vs Miller - It’s Miller Time! | 3
June 05, 2019 07:05 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBCome the early 1970s, Miller has a new owner: tobacco giant Philip Morris. Armed with the Marlboro maker’s millions and marketing skills, Miller is about to shake up the beer business with a campaign targeting blue-collar workers thirsty for a cold pint...or three. But at Anheuser-Busch, a generational rift is brewing — one that could have major repercussions for the beer business. The tensions between conservative-minded CEO Gussie Busch and his forward-thinking son and heir Augus...
Anheuser-Busch vs Miller - Swinging for the Majors | 2
June 03, 2019 07:05 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBBy 1933 Prohibition is over, and that means the race is on to dominate a beer market that’s been reset. Under the leadership of Anheuser-Busch heir Gussie Busch, the company is out to reclaim the beer throne. But there’s a challenger for the crown — Milwaukee’s top brewery, Schlitz. But as these two giants lock horns in the fight for dominance, Miller Brewing is struggling to realize its dream of becoming a major league brewer. And it won’t sit by on the sidelines. Support us by s...
Anheuser-Busch vs Miller - The Beer Barons | 1
May 29, 2019 07:05 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBIt’s 1893 and Chicago is about to host The World’s Columbian Exposition. It’s going to be the biggest show the world’s ever seen, and that means it’s time for Adolphus Busch to shine. He’s the owner of Budweiser brewery Anheuser-Busch and the most flamboyant beer baron of the Gilded Age. Busch is determined to use the show to overshadow and outspend his nemesis, Captain Pabst, the owner of America’s number-one brewery. But there’s a distraction he’s got to deal with first. A small...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - What’s Next for Digital Streaming | 9
May 27, 2019 07:05 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBOn today's special interview episode, renowned media futurist Rich Greenfield returns to fill us in on the latest developments in the streaming wars and how these changes might impact viewers in the coming years. Greenfield is a media and tech analyst with BTIG who has been following the industry for decades. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - Streamers Everywhere | 8
May 22, 2019 07:05 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBIt’s spring 2019, and the Mouse House is determined to challenge Netflix for streaming supremacy. Disney CEO Bob Iger draws gasps at an industry event when he announces the new Disney Plus streaming service will cost just seven bucks a month. Then the company drops another bombshell — it’s buying out Comcast’s stake in Hulu, the destination for edgy, adult fare, to expand its streaming empire. Now whatever content Disney makes, it’ll have a platform to host it. But Disney isn’t the...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - Break the Wheel | 7
May 20, 2019 07:05 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBNetflix goes from being a streaming company to a movement in which consumers all over the world decide what to watch, and when and how they watch. The future that Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph envisioned two decades earlier has arrived. The unfettered reign of cable television has ended. In 2019, AT&T’s acquisition of HBO’s parent company Time Warner in 2019 throws HBO’s future into even more turmoil. In a post-Game of Thrones world, can the cable network survive? Or will Netflix...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - Binge | 6
May 15, 2019 07:05 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBHollywood execs thought Netflix was crazy to give up advertising and spin off opportunities by letting viewers flop on a couch and watch a whole season of a show all at once. But Netflix knew it was onto something. All of their studies and focus groups revealed something new: viewers who binged content formed an emotional attachment to Netflix. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - HBO Gets in the Game | 5
May 13, 2019 07:05 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBWe take a step back to explore how a little company called Home Box Office went from serving B-movies to 325 homes in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania to become the juggernaut that we know as HBO. In the process, HBO, became the standard by which all other cable companies would have to measure themselves -- after all, it’s not TV. It’s HBO. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - The Digital Divide | 4
May 08, 2019 07:05 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBYou know the expression “content is king”? Well it turns out, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s a hard-working algorithm that burrows into customer habits and viewing patterns. With that, Netflix had a clear upper hand on Blockbuster. That, and the fact that Netflix targeted this new “streaming” technology that in 2007, no one really believed in. Soon they were on top of the world. But it’s dangerous being on top. If you trip, you have a long way to fall. Support us by supporting ...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - Dirty Tricks | 3
May 06, 2019 07:05 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBThinking like your enemy is the best way to beat them, and during the war, Blockbuster tried every trick in the book to get inside Netflix. Sometimes they succeeded — sending “housewives” into warehouses as spies — and sometimes things didn’t go as planned. But when Blockbuster did deliver, they delivered big. They threw everything they had at Netflix, but the war raged on. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - Origins | 2
May 01, 2019 07:05 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBAfter Hastings pleaded with Antioco to buy Blockbuster online, Antioco agreed to present Hasting’s proposal to the board. What he didn’t tell him was that he was pushing the board to reject the offer so Netflix would wither and die. Meanwhile, Netflix was struggling to gain legitimacy in Hollywood. Netflix quickly realized that before it could take on the Hollywood gods, it would have to slay Blockbuster. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...
Netflix vs Blockbuster Revisited - Sudden Death | 1
April 29, 2019 07:00 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBThe way we watch is changing so rapidly that we’ve decided to revisit our very first and most popular Business War: Netflix versus Blockbuster. We’re re-airing an expanded eight-part series following Netflix’s battles against HBO and today’s new entrants into the Streaming Wars. It all started around 1997, with a guy named Marc Randolph and his mathematician friend, Reed Hastings. Randolph and Hastings knew they’d have to take on Blockbuster. But what they didn’t anticipate was tha...
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini - The Future of Cars | 4
April 24, 2019 07:05 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBElectric. Diesel. Driverless. Automobile Magazine’s New York Bureau Chief, Jamie Kitman, joins to talk about the latest developments in the car industry and what’s next for Ferrari and Lamborghini. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini - Supercar Speed Freaks | 3
April 22, 2019 07:05 - 22 minutes - 21 MBIt is 1997. For decades, Lamborghini has struggled to survive as a company, and to compete with its nemesis Ferrari. All that is about to change. Volkswagen buys Lambo and injects it with cash and bulletproof German engineering. For the first time ever, Lamborghini can finally compete with Ferrari with a full line of cars—and serious racing. The result is a new golden age of supercars, one that we are still living through today. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy ...
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini - Lamborghini Spawns an Icon | 2
April 17, 2019 07:05 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBIt’s 1970. At his factory in Italy, Ferruccio Lamborghini is desperate to build a car that can outdo his rival, Enzo Ferrari, whose Ferrari factory is just 20 miles away. With the help of genius designers and engineers, Lamborghini comes up with what many car fans still today call the most outrageous model ever to roll down a road. Throughout the decade and beyond, the Ferrari/Lamborghini rivalry spawns the fastest cars in the world, the coolest car movies, and more. Support us by...
Ferrari vs. Lamborghini - The Gauntlet | 1
April 15, 2019 07:05 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBIt’s the early 1960s. In Maranello, Italy, Enzo Ferrari has made a name for himself building the most exotic road cars in the world. But when a dissatisfied customer named Ferruccio Lamborghini shows up to complain about his Ferrari’s busted clutch, Enzo refuses to accept blame, accusing Lamborghini of not knowing how to drive. Lamborghini vows revenge. In 1964, Lamborghini launches its first model, kicking off a rivalry with Ferrari that makes for one of the hottest automotive sto...
Hasbro vs Mattel - Today's Toys | 7
April 10, 2019 07:05 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBBratz. Monster High. Funko. These are the toys that rule the roost in 2019. Veteran toy industry analyst Sean McGowan joins to discuss the big business of toys today, how Hasbro and Mattel can compete, and what’s going on with Lego. You can find new episodes of Business Wars, completely ad-free, only on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com/wondery and use promo code WONDERY. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at ...
Hasbro vs Mattel - Screen Dreams | 6
April 08, 2019 07:05 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBWith the world plugging into the Internet, toys are under pressure. Kids are swapping plastic play for screen-based entertainment and both Mattel and Hasbro need to adapt. The question is: how? Mattel’s also finding out the hard way that Barbie’s reign as the queen of dolls is no longer secure. Challengers to her throne are emerging and the first strike against the dream doll comes not from Hasbro, but from within its own offices. You can find new episodes of Business Wars, comple...
Hasbro vs Mattel - The Shotgun Wedding | 5
April 03, 2019 07:05 - 23 minutes - 22 MBA few months ago, Mattel’s revenues were just fifty million dollars behind Hasbro’s. But now that Hasbro’s swallowed Tonka—the classic maker of Nerf, Play-Doh, and Monopoly—Mattel is half a billion dollars behind, and CEO John Amerman isn’t happy about it. Ever since Hasbro turned British fashion doll Sindy into a Barbie lookalike, the two toymakers have been at war. Now Amerman is looking to make a couple strategic acquisitions: one to put Mattel back in pole position, and the oth...
Hasbro vs Mattel - Resurrection Joe | 4
April 01, 2019 07:05 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBIt’s the early 1980s and things are not looking good for Hasbro. The company hasn’t had a hit since Hungry Hungry Hippos; its founding CEO Merrill Hassenfeld has just died; now Star Wars dolls have just about gobbled up the entire action figure market. Hasbro needs to deliver a toy capable of taking on the Star Wars dolls, or else the company risks losing its only source of stable income, the family pencil factory. But Hasbro’s not the only toymaker plotting to take on Star Wars. T...
Hasbro vs Mattel - The House of Cards | 3
March 27, 2019 07:05 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBSizzlers, Mattel’s new motorized Hot Wheels, were supposed to be the top toy this Christmas. But sales have fizzled, leaving Mattel $30 million below target. For the last ten years, Mattel’s done exceptionally well by its investors, but now the toymaker is facing a stock price collapse. To keep up appearances, Mattel starts cooking its books—but the move may end up costing CEO Ruth Handler the company. Elsewhere in Toyland, Hasbro’s facing an uncertain future. Kids are turning thei...
Hasbro vs Mattel - Boy Toy | 2
March 25, 2019 07:05 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBIt’s the 1960s and Hasbro is struggling. The pencil manufacturer turned toymaker hasn’t had a major success since Mr. Potato Head hit the shelves in 1952, and it’s starting to lose money. If the company doesn’t act fast, it’ll be headed for bankruptcy in no time. Mattel’s “accessories sold separately” approach to Barbie has revolutionized the industry. Now Hasbro’s toymakers hope to replicate her success with a doll of their own—for boys. But first, they’ll have to get the green li...
Hasbro vs Mattel - Dream Doll | 1
March 20, 2019 07:05 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBIt’s the late 1940s and two small toymakers are taking their first uneasy steps. The names of these young hopefuls are Hasbro and Mattel. One’s an offshoot of a pencil manufacturer. The other a husband-and-wife garage start-up. But toy-mayking, they soon discover, is an unexpectedly cutthroat business. If either of these companies hopes to survive--let alone succeed--they’re going to need to get creative. Disrupting the embedded and experienced kingpins of Toyland, will require the...
USFL vs NFL - Risky Business | 7
February 25, 2019 08:05 - 29 minutes - 27 MBMike Pesca, Slate, joins to talk about the biggest risks facing the NFL, whether the Patriots are good or bad for the league, and what our culture would look like if football never took off as a professional sport in the first place. Plus, he talks about his latest book, Upon Further Review: The Greatest What Ifs in Sports History. Hear more from Mike on his daily podcast, The Gist. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californ...
USFL vs NFL - Football Day in Court | 6
February 20, 2019 08:05 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBThe battle between the NFL and the USFL finally comes to a head. Donald Trump has bullied his way to the top of the USFL and pressured his league into suing the NFL for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. But the NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle is not about to back down. If the NFL settles now, they’ll be opening the floodgates to a slew of new competitors, and costly trials the league can’t afford. The only course of action? Dismantle the USFL so completely that no one even thinks ...
USFL vs NFL - The Empire Strikes Back | 5
February 18, 2019 08:05 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBFor nearly two full years, the mighty NFL sat idly by as the upstart USFL tried to chip away at its status, talent, and reputation as the most powerful sports league on the planet. Now, the NFL is ready to settle the score, once and for all. The league commissions a Harvard professor to prepare meticulous, 46-page step-by-step plan intended to squash the USFL in its tracks. Commissioner Pete Rozelle prepares himself for battle—but the battle comes sooner than expected. The USFL fil...
USFL vs NFL - Making Spring Football Great Again | 4
February 13, 2019 08:05 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBDescription: It’s 1984, and at USFL franchise offices across the country, multi-million dollar contracts are flowing like Gatorade. As the United States Football League prepares for kickoff on its second season, owners race to recruit the best college players, and steal the stars from NFL rosters. Initially, the NFL dismissed the new league as a sideshow stunt. But the USFL’s spending spree has caught the full attention of the veteran league--which is exactly what New Jersey Genera...
USFL vs NFL - A Challenge to the King | 3
February 11, 2019 08:05 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBBy most measures, the USFL’s debut season is a success. The games post solid numbers--in both ticket sales and television ratings--offering undeniable proof that there’s an audience for professional spring football. Still, the league is hemorrhaging money. At a post-season meeting, the twelve franchise owners vote on what to do with their fumbling investments. Eleven of the owners decide to stay the course, and even expand the league to bring in more capital, but the owner of the Ne...
USFL vs NFL - A General Triumph | 2
February 06, 2019 08:05 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBDescription: The NFL has faced rival leagues in the past, and routinely squashed them without breaking so much as a sweat. The NFL’s powerful commissioner, Pete Rozelle, assumes the USFL will be no different. He sees the rival league as a joke. A blip on the radar. But then the new league does something no one saw coming: it signs University of Georgia junior Herschel Walker, the biggest star in college football. When Walker signs with the USFL’s New Jersey Generals, he leaves more...
USFL vs NFL - Birth of a Spring Football League | 1
February 04, 2019 08:05 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBFor years, David Dixon has been trying to convince the National Football League to launch an expansion team in New Orleans, but he always comes up empty-handed. Finally, after one too many letdowns, Dixon realizes his only hope for a hometown team is to start his own football league. Unlike the NFL, his league — the United States Football League — will play its games in the spring, and boast rosters full of hometown heroes from regional colleges. Fans and investors seem to love the...
Best of Business Wars Daily | 1
January 30, 2019 08:05 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBOreo vs. Hydrox. Twitter vs. TikTok. Business rivals are doing battle every day. On Business Wars Daily, we give you a brief daily update, Monday through Friday, on the latest wars between the world’s biggest companies happening right now. On this episode of Business Wars, we’re sharing our favorite Business Wars Daily episodes. We’ve got provocative ad campaigns, the next big thing in social media, accusations of corporate sabotage, and of course, beer. Check out Business Wars Da...
McDonald’s vs Burger King - Breakfast Wars | 7
January 28, 2019 08:05 - 22 minutes - 21 MBEgg McMuffins, Croissan’wiches and coffee. Today’s fast food fight is all about breakfast time. Wall Street Journal reporter Julie Jargon joins to talk about where Burger King and McDonald’s are headed, the rise of eating at home, and how fast-casual chains are taking a bite out of the market. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
McDonald’s vs Burger King - Super Fan Supernova | 6
January 23, 2019 08:05 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBIt’s a new century and times are tough for the burger giants. Burger King’s in a rut and McDonald’s is about to report its first loss in nearly 40 years. Both brands need to reinvent themselves fast. But can they come up with strategies robust enough to shake off the coming economic crisis? Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
McDonald's vs Burger King - Battle of the Burgers | 5
January 21, 2019 08:05 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBBurger King is under pressure. McDonald’s is wowing the nation with a new way to eat chicken and Wendy’s is quickly closing in on the number two fast food spot. Backed into a corner, Burger King prepares to bite back with an ad campaign attacking its rivals directly. The heat is on and the burger wars are about to get dirty. It’s a game of kitchen chicken. The only question is who will blink first. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...
McDonald’s vs Burger King - Have It Your Way | 4
January 16, 2019 08:05 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBIt’s the 1970s, and the burger barons are turning to TV advertising to propel profits skyward. McDonald’s is betting that a little song and dance can give it the competitive edge, but Burger King is stepping up their ads as well: debuting a killer new slogan that’s sure to set it on a collision course with Burger Chef. And while the fast food wars continue to escalate at home, McDonald’s starts to set its sights abroad. Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at...
McDonald’s vs Burger King - Feeding Frenzy | 3
January 14, 2019 08:05 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBBy the mid-1960s, Americans have developed a taste for fast, delicious, affordable food — and they’re demanding more. U.S. fast food franchises — McDonald’s, Burger King and Burger Chef — know that if they want to feed America and win the burger wars, they’re going to have to grow. But Wall Street is still reluctant to invest in a bunch of burger chains. And Ray Kroc is about to learn firsthand that those who can’t stand the heat need to be forced out of the kitchen. Support us by...
McDonald’s vs Burger King - Cooking with Gas | 2
January 09, 2019 08:05 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBIt’s the late 1950s and fry cooks are flipping as fast as they can. But McDonald’s and Insta-Burger King’s desire for national success far outstrips their ability to deliver. It’s not enough to just make a better burger: bad contracts, bad equipment, limited capital and investors who don’t believe in 15-cent burgers threaten to stop the race in its tracks. Ray Kroc believes that he has the answers but to beat Insta-Burger King and a new aggressive competitor from Indiana, he has to...
McDonald’s vs Burger King - Fastest Burger in the West | 1
January 07, 2019 08:05 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBIt’s 1948, and somewhere around the edge of the Mojave Desert, a drive-in restaurant is making waves. It's called McDonald’s and it’s like no burger joint anyone’s seen before—a carhop-free eatery with lightning fast service, and shockingly low prices. But McDonald’s proprietors aren’t dreaming as big as the entrepreneurs traveling to California to see their groundbreaking restaurant. And for would-be burger king Keith Cramer and milkshake machine salesman Ray Kroc, that’s a golden...
Zankou Chicken Murders - The Death of an American Dream | 2
December 20, 2018 08:05 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBMardiros Iskenderian was known for two things: the unbelievable generosity he showed to the Armenian community, and the deep love he expressed for his family—particularly for his mother, whom he treated like a queen. So why did Mardiros try to cut his sisters out of the family business? What drove him to register the Zankou Chicken trademark solely under his own name? And how could a simple business re-arrangement among a loving, growing clan end in murder? Support us by supportin...
Zankou Chicken Murders - Out of Beirut | 1
December 18, 2018 08:05 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBIt’s January 14th, 2003, and 56-year-old Mardiros Iskenderian, the founder of the family-owned chain of rotisserie restaurants Zankou Chicken, is leaving the house for the first time in months. Twenty years ago, the Iskenderians transplanted their business from war-torn Beirut to sunny Los Angeles, where it blossomed into a California institution. But today, Mardiros is battling cancer—and losing. He kisses his wife Rita and heads for the door. It’ll be the last time she’ll see him...
Waze vs Apple Maps | 1
December 18, 2018 00:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBThe debut of the Apple iPhone in 2007 means unprecedented changes for human communication. But even its inventor Steve Jobs at first fails to realize that the most powerful part of his invention isn’t the music player or the web browser. It’s the map. The physical world is about to collide with the virtual one, and that means a bitter fight for mobile mapping supremacy between Apple and its rival, Google. The two companies’ battle eventually leads to one of Apple’s rare missteps —...
Waze vs Apple Maps | 3
December 18, 2018 00:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBThe debut of the Apple iPhone in 2007 means unprecedented changes for human communication. But even its inventor Steve Jobs at first fails to realize that the most powerful part of his invention isn’t the music player or the web browser. It’s the map. The physical world is about to collide with the virtual one, and that means a bitter fight for mobile mapping supremacy between Apple and its rival, Google. The two companies’ battle eventually leads to one of Apple’s rare missteps —...
Browser Wars - Even When They Lose They Win | 6
December 13, 2018 08:05 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBMicrosoft has officially won the battle against Netscape, but for Bill Gates, the browser war is far from over. The federal government has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, and called Gates to Washington, D.C. for questioning. Hotshot prosecutor David Boies aims to show that Microsoft used its monopoly on PC operating systems to drive Netscape out of business. The case has the potential to bring down the software giant once and for all. And the televised drama of a smoo...