Business Wars

Wondery

Netflix-HBO. Nike-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 shape what we buy and how we live. Behind each of them, there are inventors and investors, founders and executives, risk-takers and regulators. Sometimes they destroyed an entire industry so that a new empire could rise. We get a close-up look at what drove these entrepreneurs to take the risks that drove their companies 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. Premieres February 6th.

Netflix-HBO. Nike-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 shape what we buy and how we live. Behind each of them, there are inventors and investors, founders and executives, risk-takers and regulators. Sometimes they destroyed an entire industry so that a new empire could rise. We get a close-up look at what drove these entrepreneurs to take the risks that drove their companies 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. Premieres February 6th.

More Information

Location:

United States

Genres:

Business & Economics Podcasts

Networks:

Wondery

Description:

Language:

English

Episodes

Coke vs Pepsi - Cocaine is King | 1

8/16/2018

In turn of the century Atlanta, pharmacist John Pemberton has invented a dynamite health tonic with some secret ingredients his customers can’t get enough of. There’s only one problem. With the city about to go dry, the temperance authorities are coming for him. Pemberton needs to cook up a new recipe, fast — before his own demons tear him apart. And there’s another problem on the horizon. Its name is Pepsi-Cola. You support this show by supporting our sponsors! Podium - Get 10% off when...

Duration:00:30:26

eBay vs PayPal - Interview with Kara Swisher | 7

8/14/2018

We hope you enjoyed our series on eBay vs PayPal. Here to discuss her thoughts on the PayPal mafia alums is Kara Swisher. Swisher is the self-described "grumpy lady of tech" and host of the podcast Recode Decode. She's known for her tough takes on Silicon Valley, is Silicon Valley royalty, and even had a cameo in Season 1 of HBO's Silicon Valley. Have we mentioned Silicon Valley enough? Here's our conversation with Kara. Support this show by supporting our sponsors! Dollar Shave Club - Get...

Duration:00:29:20

eBay vs PayPal - Outta the Gate | 6

8/9/2018

PayPal is running out of time. The online payment service is hauling in new users, but its bottom line is bleeding red. Without a buyer to pump it full of cash soon, the company could go under. Should it take the safe route and sell out to its longtime nemesis eBay? Or should it risk the open market with an initial public offering? Why not both? You support this show by supporting our sponsors! Squarespace - Go to squarespace.com/BW and use offer code BW for a free trial to build a...

Duration:00:28:03

eBay vs PayPal - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do | 5

8/7/2018

By late 2000, PayPal and X.com are yoked together, with X.com CEO Elon Musk leading the newly combined company. But it’s a rocky marriage: PayPal’s founders clash with their new leader over everything from his imperious management style to his choice of server platforms. Finally the PayPal loyalists decide there’s only one option left: it’s time to engineer a coup. You can support this show by supporting our sponsors! ZipRecruiter - Try ZipRecruiter today for FREE by visiting...

Duration:00:29:18

eBay vs PayPal - How Bad Is It? | 4

8/2/2018

Remember the summer of 2000? The Olympics were in full swing and PayPal was under attack. Not from eBay, but Russian hackers. In looking for soft targets in the early days of the untethered Internet, PayPal was the fattest cow. On top of that, there are competitors, and they’re catching on fast. Between the money stolen from hackers and competitors, PayPal has to figure out a way to survive, and fast. Support this show by supporting our sponsors! Dollar Shave Club - Get a DSC kit for just...

Duration:00:27:07

PayPal Goes Viral | 3

7/31/2018

In the midst of the dot-com boom, there's also a lot of dot-com bust. PayPal desperately needed to grow but they companies who'd raised millions more suddenly disintegrate. The solution was so simple it seemed almost illegal - let the converted proselytize. And they do to incredible results. It doesn't take long for eBay to notice but there's nothing they can do to stop PayPal's viral momentum. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Fin - Try Fin for FREE at Fin.com/BW Lantana Hummus - Go...

Duration:00:27:55

eBay vs PayPal - The E-commerce Revolution | 2

7/26/2018

As eBay gathers steam, a libertarian chess champion and a programmer who fled Communist Ukraine team up to change the world with their encryption software. But when their plan to piggyback on the ubiquitous Palm Pilot hits a snag, they stumble upon a new idea. The concept is so revolutionary, it will change the landscape of e-commerce and turn the fledgling company into a viral phenomenon. There’s just one problem. PayPal is set on a collision course with the one company it needs to succeed:...

Duration:00:29:03

Introducing Raising The Bar | 3

7/25/2018

If you had to risk everything on a great idea, could you do it? We want to introduce you to a new podcast that we know you'll love. Raising The Bar is hosted by siblings and founders of the lifestyle juggernaut DryBar, Alli Webb and Michael Landau. You can listen to the first 3 episodes right now. Subscribe to Raising The Bar wherever you listen to Business Wars.

Duration:00:08:03

eBay vs PayPal - Going Once, Going Twice | 1

7/24/2018

At the dawn of the dotcom era, a Silicon Valley tech geek on a personal vendetta rolls out the world’s first e-commerce site. Vintage lunchboxes? Second-hand guitars? B-list celebrity autographs? It all finds a home on AuctionWeb, and before long the site’s growth is skyrocketing. But founder Pierre Omidyar isn’t prepared for the infrastructure challenges that come with turning his pet project into a real company. Brownouts and site outages soon follow, raising the ire of customers. And...

Duration:00:28:05

Business Wars Daily: A Smartphone App for Fido | 2

7/19/2018

Want more Business Wars? We have your daily dose. Subscribe to Business Wars Daily wherever you listen to Business Wars. It's Thursday, July 19, and we're looking at Wag vs. Rover.

Duration:00:02:39

Business Wars Daily: Battling for the Two-Wheeled Rider | 2

7/17/2018

Want more Business Wars? We have your daily dose. Subscribe to Business Wars Daily wherever you listen to Business Wars. It's Tuesday, July 17, and we're looking at Uber vs. Lyft.

Duration:00:02:22

Ford vs Chevrolet - Technology in the Fast Lane | 4

7/12/2018

It's been a hard fought battle for decades, and in the 1970s there's no signs of Ford or Chevrolet slowing down. But this time they're fighting on new grounds, ones dominated by Japanese cars. Honda, Toyota and Datsun dominate the market, and Ford and Chevy seem like they're just... running out of gas. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Slack - Where work happens. Visit slack.com to get communicating today

Duration:00:36:15

Ford vs Chevrolet - Fast and Sexy | 3

7/10/2018

In the 1960s, the biggest generation of Americans of all time are reaching driving age. They want cars, and they want them to be fast and powerful, and they want them now. The best showcase for these cars is by winning races, and in the 1960s, Ford and Chevy are gunning for each other at every turn. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Zip Recruiter - Get a free trial and learn how to hire smarter when you visit them at ZipRecruiter.com/BW Squarespace - Enter code BW at checkout to save...

Duration:00:32:00

Ford vs Chevrolet - Detroit Joins the War | 2

7/5/2018

FDR believed that WWII was a contest of mass production. Whoever could build the most trucks, tanks, guns and airplanes would come out on top. What power could defeat the United States of America and its massive automobile industry? But for Roosevelt’s arsenal to work automakers will have to put aside their rivalries and retool. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Quip- Receive your first refill pack free when you buy a toothbrush at GetQuip.com/BW

Duration:00:32:25

Ford vs Chevrolet - Tin Lizzie Becomes Roadkill | 1

7/3/2018

In 1896, Henry Ford puttered around Detroit streets testing his “Quadricycle.” This was the whimsical beginning to a revolution that redesigned the landscape of America. Cars changed the way America lived, worked, ate, shopped, and listened to music. And more than 100 years ago, the entire industry was a group of men, whose names are now emblazoned on every bumper, just hanging out at their local bar. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Squarespace - Enter code BW at checkout to save...

Duration:00:34:36

Hearst vs Pulitzer - Interview with Gabriel Kahn | 7

6/28/2018

Joining us today is Gabriel Kahn, a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California. He’s a former Los Angeles bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal and a frequent commentator on monetization and the media. He’s also taught courses on the history of journalism. He recently wrote an open letter to the new owner of the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Soon Shiong, and now he's here to talk about Hearst vs Pulitzer! Join us next week as we visit a new business war: Ford vs...

Duration:00:28:31

Hearst vs Pulitzer - Days of Atonement | 6

6/26/2018

By 1900, the days of yellow journalism were already fading, and both William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer were searching for a new direction even as their newspapers diverged. Hearst tries for a political career, but finds himself defeated and dragging back to a lagging paper by the end of the decade. Pulitzer doubled down on news, and in 1909 caught the biggest scoop of his career. While the paper is going as strong as ever, Pulitzer’s health is suffering. Both men created legacies and...

Duration:00:28:21

Hearst vs Pulitzer - Newsies | 5

6/21/2018

A close up look at a crisis of their own making. One that nearly cost Hearst and Pulitzer their grip on the country’s first media empires. Instead of pitting them against each other, the crisis would see the two media moguls finding rare common ground. At the turn of the century, newspapers flew off the presses in 8 or 10 separate editions a day. Newsies grabbed them off stacks in the alleys and took to the streets, their little hands stained with ink. But when the Newsies go on strike,...

Duration:00:24:32

Hearst vs Pulitzer - War Drums | 4

6/19/2018

What happens when there’s no news? You have to MAKE the news. When Hearst heard from his top reporter that the Spanish-Cuban tension wasn’t looking like anything would happen, Hearst wasn’t just going to wait around for an explosion. He already bought and assembled a collection of powder kegs. It was just a matter of lighting the fuse. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Fin - Try fin for free when you visit them at Fin.com/BW

Duration:00:29:23

Hearst vs Pulitzer - The Price of News | 3

6/14/2018

In 1883, 15 years before the Headless Torso Murder, New York City's population was rapidly growing and the newspaper scene was pretty sleepy. The city's nearly 50 daily papers, even the small New York Times, was a pretty sedate bunch, informing citizens about zoning board decisions and weather trends. They rarely draw any blood, stir up society, get the city talking. But that’s changing, thanks to Joseph Pulitzer. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Quip - Receive your first refill...

Duration:00:26:32