Spectacular Failures podcast artwork
Business

Spectacular Failures

by American Public Media
Share this ranking Claiming needs an RSS feed. Contact us.

Where it charts

Today’s combined position on our country charts.

Ranking history

History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the Business chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.

About the show

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

  • Sqirl finds itself in a jam

    October 5, 2020 · 38 min

    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, snapped by someone in the Sqirl kitchen, blew up the…

  • NYC Taxi Medallions' steep fare

    September 28, 2020 · 37 min

    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 and debt for drivers. Then, the bubble did what bubbles…

  • Subprime times at Countrywide Financial

    September 21, 2020 · 43 min

    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 extinct. Our sponsors this week: Indeed…

  • Pan Am hits major turbulence

    September 14, 2020 · 40 min

    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 terrorist attack sunset the airline for good.Our sponsors…

  • A dairy giant gets milked

    September 7, 2020 · 38 min

    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 largest milk processor, Dean Foods. Sign up to receive our…

  • Napster fought the law and the law won

    August 31, 2020 · 38 min

    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 music—and how much we’re willing to pay for it. [Editor’s…

  • The toxic tale of the Love Canal fail

    August 24, 2020 · 40 min

    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 truly be at fault...until it was too late. Our sponsors…

  • The curtain falls on a big Broadway company

    August 17, 2020 · 42 min

    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 week:Indeed: indeed.com/spectacularNetSuit…