Business Wars

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It’s May 2018, and the U.S. Supreme Court just struck down a law that banned most sports betting nationwide. The gold rush is on to capture a newly wide-open market of online gamblers. FanDuel and DraftKings shift seamlessly from daily fantasy companies to online sportsbooks, partnering with top athletes and pro sports leagues. But their methods for keeping customers hooked will shock the conscience, and threaten the very fan base that earned them billions.

If you’d like to learn more about the FanDuel - DraftKings rivalry, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Billion Dollar Fantasy,” by Albert Chen right now on Audible.

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Lauren Malloy was a baby when her mother, Lori, was murdered in East Providence, Rhode Island. For thirty years, no one told her. Everyone said Lori died of natural causes. Then a stranger sent Lauren a message — and the lie collapsed. Now Lauren is investigating her own mother’s murder. She’s recorded hundreds of hours of interviews with law enforcement, family, childhood friends, and people who won’t stop contradicting each other. Every answer opens a darker question. Every person she trusts seems to be hiding something. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes the people she trusts may be the ones with the most to hide. A 10-part true crime investigation hosted by the victim’s daughter. Lauren’s mission: to finally uncover the identity of Lori’s killer. 

Audible subscribers can binge all 10 episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible App or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Listen now: HERE 

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It’s 2009, and most online betting is illegal in the U.S. Then tech founder Nigel Eccles finds a nifty loophole around fantasy sports, and FanDuel is born. The new ‘daily fantasy sports’ app allows users to play in short-term contests with quick payouts… almost like gambling by another name. But soon, a competitor emerges: DraftKings. The rivalry builds to a fever pitch, with battling ads running on national TV every 90 seconds. And that’s when the trouble really starts…

If you’d like to learn more about the FanDuel - DraftKings rivalry, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Billion Dollar Fantasy,” by Albert Chen right now on Audible.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recent visitors to China’s tech zone in Shenzhen have come away in awe of the country’s manufacturing capabilities, including its increasingly advanced humanoid robots. And when iRobot’s Chinese supplier took over the company this year, it looked like another win for Chinese tech. Christopher Mims is a tech reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He’s the author of “Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door – Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.” He joins David to discuss robots, AI and what he calls “the new space race.”

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

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It’s 2017 and the Roomba rules the robotic vacuum market. But cheaper competitors from China, some of whom offer more features for less money, start eating away at its lead. iRobot’s CEO Colin Angle fights back with lawsuits and a bet on premium pricing. But the competition keeps finding ways around him, and as a pandemic-fueled sales boom fades, iRobot’s finances start to crumble. Can a lifeline from Amazon pull the Roomba to safety or is the pioneer of home robots, about to get sucked up by the competition?

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It’s 1984 and MIT professor Rodney Brooks has a radical idea: robots don't need complicated brains to navigate the world — they just need simple rules. Brooks and two of his students, Colin Angle and Helen Greiner, turn that idea into a company called iRobot. The company chases government contracts and builds robotic dolls. But in 2002, iRobot breaks through with the Roomba — a vacuuming robot. The Roomba bumps into chair legs, takes cats for joyrides, and propels iRobot to a blockbuster IPO. But the Roomba is headed for trouble.

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After years on top, Sweet’N Low is sinking fast. Newer artificial sweeteners aspartame and sucralose are spawning fresh competition. But the problems go even deeper – because within its own ranks, fraudsters are draining Sweet’N Low's coffers.

If you’d like to hear more about the artificial sweetener business, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Empty Pleasures” by Carolyn de la Peña right now on Audible.

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

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The promise seemed miraculous. Sweetness minus the calories. But when studies begin to link artificial sweeteners with cancer, the entire industry faces oblivion. And it'll take some lightning-fast pivots and Donald Rumsfeld to pull it back from the brink.

If you’d like to hear more about the artificial sweetener business, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Empty Pleasures” by Carolyn de la Peña right now on Audible.

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

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Introducing Audible True Crime, a dedicated podcast feed where we bring you the best podcasts in true crime, with episodes dropping every single week. Find your next bingeable series about unsolved murders, cold cases, scams and mysteries. This is the cream of the crop of Audible podcasts, featuring award-winning series and soon-to-be favorites. Stop pestering your friends or searching “best true crime podcast” on Google.   

Up first, Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment: A search for spiritual guidance leads a group of strangers to seek direction from a self-help guru. And not just any guru. James Arthur Ray is an Oprah endorsed motivational speaker and entrepreneur whose unorthodox methods that blend self-improvement and economic advice have won him praise and a growing following. He’s fast becoming a self-help superstar. But Ray’s increasingly extreme methods push his followers to their limits. What are they seeking? What does he offer? And what happens when it all goes too far, and people die?  

Listen to Audible True Crime wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes on Audible True Crime early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible App or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.  

Listen now: link.pscrb.fm/6438e/fdaudibletruecrimeron-93b44 

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