Spectacular Failures

By American Public Media

Business

What's Spectacular Failures about?

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 and the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

4.4

3,708 ratings

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LAST EPISODE

Sqirl finds itself in a jam

10.05.2020

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 ...

Spectacular Failures episodes:

10.05.2020 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, snapped by someone in the Sqirl kitchen, blew up ...
09.28.2020 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 and debt for drivers. Then, the bubble did what bubbles ...
09.21.2020 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 extinct. Our sponsors this week: Indeed - Indeed.com/spectacular Policy Genius - Policygenius.com Our Crowd ...
09.14.2020 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 terrorist attack sunset the airline for good. Our sponsors this week: Betterhelp: ...
09.07.2020 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 largest milk processor, Dean Foods. Sign up to ...
08.31.2020 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 music—and how much we’re willing to pay for it. [Editor’s note - ...
08.24.2020 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 truly be at fault...until it was too late. Our sponsors this ...
08.17.2020 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 week: Indeed: indeed.com/spectacular NetSuite: netsuite.com/spectacular The Great Courses Plus: thegreatcoursesplus.com/spectacular ...
08.10.2020 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: fiverr.com promo code SPECTACULAR NetSuite: NetSuite.com/SPECTACULAR The Great Courses Plus: thegreatcoursesplus.com/spectacular Sign ...
08.03.2020 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, but will customers still hanker for the big blue box ...
07.20.2020 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 businesses and collapsed corporations are having a moment, and who better to tackle ...
08.19.2019 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 Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. ...
08.12.2019 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 @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at ...
08.05.2019 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 on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober ...
07.29.2019 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 gone away. Not even close. You can follow Spectacular Failures ...
07.22.2019 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 follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on ...
07.15.2019 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 using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout. Spectacular ...
07.08.2019 A funeral industry giant keels over A family-owned business fights a billion-dollar, multinational company. And wins. You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout. Visit our website for this week’s ...
07.01.2019 Schlitz Beer goes bad, then worse "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" cuts corners. And loses its most loyal customers. You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout. Spectacular Failures ...
06.24.2019 MoviePass begins with plenty of drama Unlimited movie theater tickets for $9.99 a month? It sounds too good to be true and, well... it might be. You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram, where you can see photos ...
06.17.2019 A Christian theme park plunges into scandal How Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s wildly popular Christian theme park was upended by fraud, scandal and lavish spending. You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram, where you can see photos from ...
05.30.2019 Introducing Spectacular Failures 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. Coming June 17.