Business Wars

By Wondery

History Business

What's Business Wars about?

Netflix 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.

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LAST EPISODE

Pandemic Economy: Best of B...

10.28.2020

COVID-19 has flipped the economy on its head. But the pandemic’s new normal has also created new opportunities. Against all odds, some businesses are actually thriving -- and we’re not just talking about streaming companies. Today we bring you a ...

Business Wars episodes:

10.28.2020 Pandemic Economy: Best of Business Wars Daily \| 61 COVID-19 has flipped the economy on its head. But the pandemic’s new normal has also created new opportunities. Against all odds, some businesses are actually thriving -- and we’re not just talking about streaming companies. Today we bring you a ...
10.27.2020 Wondery Presents: Dr. Death Season 2 If someone you love is diagnosed with cancer you want them to get the best treatment from the best doctors. In 2013, patients in Michigan thought Farid Fata was that doctor. Between his prestigious education, years of experience and pleasant ...
10.26.2020 Gallo: Godfather Of Wine \| The Gallo Family Today \| 7 When Ernest and Joseph Gallo died in 2007, decades after their brother Julio, it put an end to a family saga that had stretched for the better part of a century. But the company the brothers founded is still going ...
10.21.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| Wine is Thicker Than Blood \| 6 It’s the 1980’s and Gallo rockets to the top of the new lucrative wine cooler market with a brilliant ad campaign for its Bartles and Jaymes brand. But long held resentments, buried secrets and lurking distrust bubble up to the ...
10.19.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| The Grapes of Wrath \| 5 Heading into the turbulent 1960s, Ernest Gallo attempts to conquer the Midwestern wine market by taking on a dangerous associate of Al Capone in Chicago. As the company grows, the two Gallos join forces in consolidating their control over the ...
10.15.2020 Introducing a Wondery+ Exclusive Season of Business Wars: SAT vs. ACT Each year, over ten million students in the United States apply to college. The SAT and ACT were designed to help standardize the college admissions process. But today, they are fraught with accusations of discrimination and fraud. The question is: ...
10.14.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| Thunderbird \| 4 It’s the 1940s and as American soldiers battle the Axis powers overseas, Ernest and Julio Gallo fulfill lucrative government contracts for jet fuel ingredients made out of ethyl alcohol, known as "torpedo juice.” They also make a risky wager on ...
10.12.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| The Miracle Year \| 3 It’s the 1930s and with Prohibition finally over, Americans are eager to drown themselves in booze. Ernest Gallo persuades his reluctant brother, Julio, to partner with him on starting a winery. Ernest employs every trick in the book to bolster ...
10.07.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| Violence in the Vineyard \| 2 It’s the roaring twenties and Joe Gallo Sr.’s two teenage sons, Ernest and Julio, help run the family’s extensive vineyards and bootlegging operations. Young Ernest plays a tricky game, dealing with Al Capone in Chicago and dodging G-men. But the ...
10.05.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| The Gangster and The Grape Grower \| 1 It's the early 1900’s and two young brothers emigrate from Italy to the US to make their fortunes. In California, they con, grift and bamboozle their fellow immigrants out of thousands of dollars, enough to start a wine business. But ...
09.30.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Hut In A Rut? \| 7 In 2009, Domino’s went into crisis mode after a prank threatened to ruin the brand’s already substandard image. You might say that was a wake up call. The company would go on to invest heavily in technology and delivery in ...
09.28.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| The Pizza Confession \| 6 It’s 2009 and Domino’s is about to risk everything in a daring bid to shake off its reputation as the home of sub-par pizza. But Pizza Hut’s having a hard time too. Its iconic red-roof restaurants are now holding it ...
09.23.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Slices of Science \| 5 It’s the 1990s and Domino’s rapid rise on the back of its 30-minute delivery guarantee is about to smash straight into a legal roadblock. And while Domino’s extracts itself from the wreckage, Pizza Hut’s cooking up a new recipe for ...
09.22.2020 Sponsored \| Seoul Taco Founder David Choi on the ‘Right Way’ to Expand a Business \| 2 Last week, we gave you the first half of our interview with Seoul Taco Founder David Choi. If you didn't catch that part of our conversation, we encourage you to go back and check it out. Since starting his Seoul ...
09.21.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Deliverance \| 4 It’s the late 1980s and Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan’s living the high life. After years of struggle, he’s a billionaire and he’s buying up plenty of status symbols to prove it. But as Pizza Hut tries to rally a counter-attack, ...
09.16.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Delivering the Goods \| 3 It’s the ‘80s and Domino’s is gunning for Pizza Hut. Domino’s has kickstarted the speediest expansion program in fast-food history and it’s not planning on stopping until it’s planted its flag in every corner of the USA. But while Domino’s ...
09.15.2020 Sponsored \| From Food Truck to Franchise: How David Choi Started Seoul Taco \| 1 Before you’re ready for a full-fledged “Business War,” you need to start somewhere. David Choi put it all on the line and drained his bank account to buy his first food truck. Eight years later, Choi’s bold vision for Korean ...
09.14.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Meltdown \| 2 It’s the dawn of the 1970s and Pizza Hut is about to join America's business elite by floating on the stock exchange. But the Kansas pizza giant’s moment of triumph turns into defeat. But while Pizza Hut’s been charming investors ...
09.09.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Rolling out \| 1 It’s 1958 and on the East and West Coasts, all the cool cats are chowing down on pizza. Yet in the heartland, far away from the buzz of New York and LA, pizza is still rarely seen, let alone eaten. ...
09.07.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| FedEx, UPS and Amazon’s Close Ties to the Postal Service \| 7 In our last episode, Amazon had once again taken a financial hit to get ahead in the shipping game, cutting out its need for FedEx and UPS, and turning them into the competition. But there’s one more link in the ...
09.02.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| Deal with the Devil \| 6 Both FedEx and UPS are doing a lot of business with e-commerce companies, especially Amazon. But after one disastrous Christmas season when both companies have difficulty delivering in time for Christmas, Amazon decides it’s time to bring shipping in-house. Going ...
08.31.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| On the Line \| 5 With UPS expanding aggressively into Europe and other continents, FedEx decides to bet big on China. But it’s a risky strategy that initially looks like it’s going to fall short. Meanwhile, UPS tries to maintain its competitive advantage by pushing ...
08.26.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| When in Rome... \| 4 UPS decides it’s time to expand its market outside North America and makes a big push into Western Europe. But it’s harder than expected to integrate its corporate culture with European norms. FedEx CEO Fred Smith eschews European expansion and ...
08.24.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Plane \| 3 Finally financially stable, FedEx takes on the US government to overturn regulations that limit the size of the planes they can fly. Convinced the regulations are limiting its growth, FedEx launches a multi-pronged strategy to persuade Congress to change the ...
08.19.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| Vegas or Bust \| 2 After a disastrous start, FedEx needs to change its sales pitch or it will run out of money before it even has a chance to take off. Smith resorts to surprising means to raise the money to keep his fledgling ...
08.17.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| Kick the Tire, Light the Fires \| 1 It’s the early 1970s, and 27-year-old Fred Smith has an idea for a new kind of package delivery service, one that uses its own planes to deliver packages in under 24 hours. Skeptics tell him the start-up costs are too ...
08.12.2020 Dating App Wars \| Dating Apps Pivot as COVID-19 Continues \| 7 Almost one in three relationships start as online encounters. But the popularity of dating apps isn’t surprising with so many to choose from, and the pandemic may even be boosting dating app use. For more on how COVID-19 has changed ...
08.10.2020 Dating App Wars \| An App-rehensive Future \| 6 Whitney Wolfe Herd establishes Bumble with a strident anti-misogyny agenda, but that foundation is rocked when shocking accusations of sexual harassment surface against Wolfe Herd’s co-founder. Meanwhile, the revolutionary gay app Grindr goes through a scandalous upheaval when a Chinese ...
08.05.2020 Dating App Wars \| Are You Ready to Bumble? \| 5 Niche apps are kicking into high gear for users with specific criteria, and there’s something for everyone: muzmatch for Muslims, Mouse Mingle for Disney fans, Twindog for canine lovers, Sizzl for bacon aficionados, Bristl for beard enthusiasts and Dead Meet ...
08.03.2020 Dating App Wars \| Crimes of Passion \| 4 What seemed like a run of the mill office romance gone very, very wrong will result in a devastating upheaval in the power structure at Tinder. And repercussions will be felt throughout the industry as Whitney Wolfe exacts some delicious ...
07.29.2020 Dating App Wars \| The Revolution Will Be Swiped \| 3 A new app aimed at gay users is about to break open an entirely new feature that will redefine the cyber dating business. And a young man emerging from a shower gets his inspiration for a new hookup site as ...
07.27.2020 Dating App Wars \| eHarmonic Convergence \| 2 Dr. Neil Clark Warren is a 63-year-old theologian and clinical psychologist with a vision for a site he’s certain can lead to romantic success. eHarmony will be the first to take on the powerful Match.com. And Warren believes he is ...
07.22.2020 Dating App Wars \| Lighting Up Match.com \| 1 It’s 1995, and computer dating is in its infancy. Most people think it’s a dark, sleazy world for desperate losers and horny perverts. But that’s all about to change. Pioneer site Match.com paves the way for cyber dating to move ...
07.20.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Future of the Diamond Industry \| 8 Today we conclude our Diamond Wars series. These precious stones are known to be undeniably beautiful, rare and a symbol of luxury. But diamonds have also been associated with war, human rights abuses and death. In response, consumers these days ...
07.15.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Alchemists \| 7 It’s the 2000s and the diamond cartel is dead. Now, De Beers must adjust to its new status as the market leader rather than the monopoly. But the threats to its business aren’t going away. Diamonds are losing their luster ...
07.13.2020 Diamond Wars \| Monopolies Aren’t Forever \| 6 It’s the late 1990s and rebel armies in Angola, Sierra Leone and Congo are bankrolling campaigns of mass murder and terror with diamonds. Now, after years of turning a blind eye, the diamond-buying public is starting to notice the bloodshed. ...
07.08.2020 Diamond Wars \| Blood and Champagne \| 5 It’s 1966 and De Beers is about to abandon its eleven-year search for diamonds in Botswana. But the geologist behind the search is far from ready to pack up his tools. And De Beers isn’t the only one searching for ...
07.06.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Shadow World \| 4 It’s the early 1950s and West Africa’s growing number of diamond smugglers is causing headaches for De Beers. Faced with millions of pounds in losses, the diamond monopoly decides it’s time to get tough with the smugglers. But while De ...
07.01.2020 Diamond Wars \| Diamond Dogfight \| 3 It’s 1940, and the world is at war. The Allies and Axis powers are scrambling to lock down supplies of the industrial diamonds needed to mass produce their tanks, planes and submarines. But when the White House demands De Beers ...
06.29.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Puppet Master \| 2 It’s 1914 and De Beers’s monopoly is under threat. Diamonds have been discovered on the desolate coast of the German colony of South West Africa. So it hired an ambitious diamond expert named Ernest Oppenheimer and gave him his orders: ...
06.24.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Diamond Rush \| 1 It’s 1869 and diamonds have been found in Cape Colony. Now, diamond hunters from across the world are heading to this remote British outpost in southern Africa, seeking a glittering fortune. And among them are two wide-eyed hopefuls: streetwise Barney ...
06.22.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Examining Toxic Company Culture in the Rideshare Industry \| 7 Uber and Lyft have made their mark as very different brands. Lyft was born out of a need for more environmentally friendly rideshare options. And is also seen as the “friendlier” of the two companies. While Uber’s former CEO, Travis ...
06.17.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Evolve or Die \| 6 New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is cleaning house after the departure of Travis Kalanick. But after a disappointing IPO, Khosrowshahi has to boost the company’s ailing financials and fight against lawmakers who are siding with aggrieved drivers. Then COVID-19 hits. Uber ...
06.15.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Damage Control \| 5 February 2017, Super Bowl Sunday. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is taking a black car home when he gets in an altercation with the driver. LIttle does he know, the entire exchange has been captured on a dashcam recording. And when ...
06.10.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Kill or Be Killed \| 4 Uber is facing blowback from all directions — the taxi industry, riders, and the most important man in tech: Apple's Tim Cook. Uber’s been engaged in some disreputable activity, and it's finally catching up with them. Lyft forges ahead and ...
06.08.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Race to the Bottom \| 3 It's 2013, and Lyft's CEO John Zimmer is hosting a little celebration for drivers when some very unwelcome interlopers turn up to crash the party. Uber’s Travis Kalanick wants to destroy Lyft at any cost, and he's willing to do ...
06.03.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Revenge Business \| 2 It's the late '90s, and Travis Kalanick is hanging out in his dorm room at UCLA. He’s having a file-sharing party with his friends that leads to his first business. But Kalanick’s forced to grow up quickly as he learns ...
06.01.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Black Cars and Pink Mustaches \| 1 It’s December 2008, and two friends and fellow tech entrepreneurs, Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick, can't get a taxi. Camp’s already obsessed with the idea of a service that summons a private driver with the push of a button, but ...
05.27.2020 Business Battles \| Toilet Paper Wars: White Gold \| 5 Quarantine restrictions during the coronavirus have induced toilet paper panic-buying as people scratch, claw and punch each other to get rolls. But why? What’s behind the frenzy, and how will that affect the TP industry? In the last 150 years, ...
05.20.2020 Business Battles \| Tetris: Soviet Blocks \| 4 It’s 1988, and Tetris is making waves. It’s billed as the first Soviet video game, and it’s selling fast. But the man who introduced it to the West harbors a secret: he doesn’t own the rights. And when his subterfuge ...

Older episodes

10.28.2020 Pandemic Economy: Best of Business Wars Daily \| 61 COVID-19 has flipped the economy on its head. But the pandemic’s new normal has also created new opportunities. Against all odds, some businesses are actually thriving -- and we’re not just talking about streaming companies. Today we bring you a ...
10.27.2020 Wondery Presents: Dr. Death Season 2 If someone you love is diagnosed with cancer you want them to get the best treatment from the best doctors. In 2013, patients in Michigan thought Farid Fata was that doctor. Between his prestigious education, years of experience and pleasant ...
10.26.2020 Gallo: Godfather Of Wine \| The Gallo Family Today \| 7 When Ernest and Joseph Gallo died in 2007, decades after their brother Julio, it put an end to a family saga that had stretched for the better part of a century. But the company the brothers founded is still going ...
10.21.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| Wine is Thicker Than Blood \| 6 It’s the 1980’s and Gallo rockets to the top of the new lucrative wine cooler market with a brilliant ad campaign for its Bartles and Jaymes brand. But long held resentments, buried secrets and lurking distrust bubble up to the ...
10.19.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| The Grapes of Wrath \| 5 Heading into the turbulent 1960s, Ernest Gallo attempts to conquer the Midwestern wine market by taking on a dangerous associate of Al Capone in Chicago. As the company grows, the two Gallos join forces in consolidating their control over the ...
10.15.2020 Introducing a Wondery+ Exclusive Season of Business Wars: SAT vs. ACT Each year, over ten million students in the United States apply to college. The SAT and ACT were designed to help standardize the college admissions process. But today, they are fraught with accusations of discrimination and fraud. The question is: ...
10.14.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| Thunderbird \| 4 It’s the 1940s and as American soldiers battle the Axis powers overseas, Ernest and Julio Gallo fulfill lucrative government contracts for jet fuel ingredients made out of ethyl alcohol, known as "torpedo juice.” They also make a risky wager on ...
10.12.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| The Miracle Year \| 3 It’s the 1930s and with Prohibition finally over, Americans are eager to drown themselves in booze. Ernest Gallo persuades his reluctant brother, Julio, to partner with him on starting a winery. Ernest employs every trick in the book to bolster ...
10.07.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| Violence in the Vineyard \| 2 It’s the roaring twenties and Joe Gallo Sr.’s two teenage sons, Ernest and Julio, help run the family’s extensive vineyards and bootlegging operations. Young Ernest plays a tricky game, dealing with Al Capone in Chicago and dodging G-men. But the ...
10.05.2020 Gallo: Godfathers of Wine \| The Gangster and The Grape Grower \| 1 It's the early 1900’s and two young brothers emigrate from Italy to the US to make their fortunes. In California, they con, grift and bamboozle their fellow immigrants out of thousands of dollars, enough to start a wine business. But ...
09.30.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Hut In A Rut? \| 7 In 2009, Domino’s went into crisis mode after a prank threatened to ruin the brand’s already substandard image. You might say that was a wake up call. The company would go on to invest heavily in technology and delivery in ...
09.28.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| The Pizza Confession \| 6 It’s 2009 and Domino’s is about to risk everything in a daring bid to shake off its reputation as the home of sub-par pizza. But Pizza Hut’s having a hard time too. Its iconic red-roof restaurants are now holding it ...
09.23.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Slices of Science \| 5 It’s the 1990s and Domino’s rapid rise on the back of its 30-minute delivery guarantee is about to smash straight into a legal roadblock. And while Domino’s extracts itself from the wreckage, Pizza Hut’s cooking up a new recipe for ...
09.22.2020 Sponsored \| Seoul Taco Founder David Choi on the ‘Right Way’ to Expand a Business \| 2 Last week, we gave you the first half of our interview with Seoul Taco Founder David Choi. If you didn't catch that part of our conversation, we encourage you to go back and check it out. Since starting his Seoul ...
09.21.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Deliverance \| 4 It’s the late 1980s and Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan’s living the high life. After years of struggle, he’s a billionaire and he’s buying up plenty of status symbols to prove it. But as Pizza Hut tries to rally a counter-attack, ...
09.16.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Delivering the Goods \| 3 It’s the ‘80s and Domino’s is gunning for Pizza Hut. Domino’s has kickstarted the speediest expansion program in fast-food history and it’s not planning on stopping until it’s planted its flag in every corner of the USA. But while Domino’s ...
09.15.2020 Sponsored \| From Food Truck to Franchise: How David Choi Started Seoul Taco \| 1 Before you’re ready for a full-fledged “Business War,” you need to start somewhere. David Choi put it all on the line and drained his bank account to buy his first food truck. Eight years later, Choi’s bold vision for Korean ...
09.14.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Meltdown \| 2 It’s the dawn of the 1970s and Pizza Hut is about to join America's business elite by floating on the stock exchange. But the Kansas pizza giant’s moment of triumph turns into defeat. But while Pizza Hut’s been charming investors ...
09.09.2020 Pizza Hut vs Domino's \| Rolling out \| 1 It’s 1958 and on the East and West Coasts, all the cool cats are chowing down on pizza. Yet in the heartland, far away from the buzz of New York and LA, pizza is still rarely seen, let alone eaten. ...
09.07.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| FedEx, UPS and Amazon’s Close Ties to the Postal Service \| 7 In our last episode, Amazon had once again taken a financial hit to get ahead in the shipping game, cutting out its need for FedEx and UPS, and turning them into the competition. But there’s one more link in the ...
09.02.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| Deal with the Devil \| 6 Both FedEx and UPS are doing a lot of business with e-commerce companies, especially Amazon. But after one disastrous Christmas season when both companies have difficulty delivering in time for Christmas, Amazon decides it’s time to bring shipping in-house. Going ...
08.31.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| On the Line \| 5 With UPS expanding aggressively into Europe and other continents, FedEx decides to bet big on China. But it’s a risky strategy that initially looks like it’s going to fall short. Meanwhile, UPS tries to maintain its competitive advantage by pushing ...
08.26.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| When in Rome... \| 4 UPS decides it’s time to expand its market outside North America and makes a big push into Western Europe. But it’s harder than expected to integrate its corporate culture with European norms. FedEx CEO Fred Smith eschews European expansion and ...
08.24.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Plane \| 3 Finally financially stable, FedEx takes on the US government to overturn regulations that limit the size of the planes they can fly. Convinced the regulations are limiting its growth, FedEx launches a multi-pronged strategy to persuade Congress to change the ...
08.19.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| Vegas or Bust \| 2 After a disastrous start, FedEx needs to change its sales pitch or it will run out of money before it even has a chance to take off. Smith resorts to surprising means to raise the money to keep his fledgling ...
08.17.2020 FedEx vs UPS \| Kick the Tire, Light the Fires \| 1 It’s the early 1970s, and 27-year-old Fred Smith has an idea for a new kind of package delivery service, one that uses its own planes to deliver packages in under 24 hours. Skeptics tell him the start-up costs are too ...
08.12.2020 Dating App Wars \| Dating Apps Pivot as COVID-19 Continues \| 7 Almost one in three relationships start as online encounters. But the popularity of dating apps isn’t surprising with so many to choose from, and the pandemic may even be boosting dating app use. For more on how COVID-19 has changed ...
08.10.2020 Dating App Wars \| An App-rehensive Future \| 6 Whitney Wolfe Herd establishes Bumble with a strident anti-misogyny agenda, but that foundation is rocked when shocking accusations of sexual harassment surface against Wolfe Herd’s co-founder. Meanwhile, the revolutionary gay app Grindr goes through a scandalous upheaval when a Chinese ...
08.05.2020 Dating App Wars \| Are You Ready to Bumble? \| 5 Niche apps are kicking into high gear for users with specific criteria, and there’s something for everyone: muzmatch for Muslims, Mouse Mingle for Disney fans, Twindog for canine lovers, Sizzl for bacon aficionados, Bristl for beard enthusiasts and Dead Meet ...
08.03.2020 Dating App Wars \| Crimes of Passion \| 4 What seemed like a run of the mill office romance gone very, very wrong will result in a devastating upheaval in the power structure at Tinder. And repercussions will be felt throughout the industry as Whitney Wolfe exacts some delicious ...
07.29.2020 Dating App Wars \| The Revolution Will Be Swiped \| 3 A new app aimed at gay users is about to break open an entirely new feature that will redefine the cyber dating business. And a young man emerging from a shower gets his inspiration for a new hookup site as ...
07.27.2020 Dating App Wars \| eHarmonic Convergence \| 2 Dr. Neil Clark Warren is a 63-year-old theologian and clinical psychologist with a vision for a site he’s certain can lead to romantic success. eHarmony will be the first to take on the powerful Match.com. And Warren believes he is ...
07.22.2020 Dating App Wars \| Lighting Up Match.com \| 1 It’s 1995, and computer dating is in its infancy. Most people think it’s a dark, sleazy world for desperate losers and horny perverts. But that’s all about to change. Pioneer site Match.com paves the way for cyber dating to move ...
07.20.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Future of the Diamond Industry \| 8 Today we conclude our Diamond Wars series. These precious stones are known to be undeniably beautiful, rare and a symbol of luxury. But diamonds have also been associated with war, human rights abuses and death. In response, consumers these days ...
07.15.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Alchemists \| 7 It’s the 2000s and the diamond cartel is dead. Now, De Beers must adjust to its new status as the market leader rather than the monopoly. But the threats to its business aren’t going away. Diamonds are losing their luster ...
07.13.2020 Diamond Wars \| Monopolies Aren’t Forever \| 6 It’s the late 1990s and rebel armies in Angola, Sierra Leone and Congo are bankrolling campaigns of mass murder and terror with diamonds. Now, after years of turning a blind eye, the diamond-buying public is starting to notice the bloodshed. ...
07.08.2020 Diamond Wars \| Blood and Champagne \| 5 It’s 1966 and De Beers is about to abandon its eleven-year search for diamonds in Botswana. But the geologist behind the search is far from ready to pack up his tools. And De Beers isn’t the only one searching for ...
07.06.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Shadow World \| 4 It’s the early 1950s and West Africa’s growing number of diamond smugglers is causing headaches for De Beers. Faced with millions of pounds in losses, the diamond monopoly decides it’s time to get tough with the smugglers. But while De ...
07.01.2020 Diamond Wars \| Diamond Dogfight \| 3 It’s 1940, and the world is at war. The Allies and Axis powers are scrambling to lock down supplies of the industrial diamonds needed to mass produce their tanks, planes and submarines. But when the White House demands De Beers ...
06.29.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Puppet Master \| 2 It’s 1914 and De Beers’s monopoly is under threat. Diamonds have been discovered on the desolate coast of the German colony of South West Africa. So it hired an ambitious diamond expert named Ernest Oppenheimer and gave him his orders: ...
06.24.2020 Diamond Wars \| The Diamond Rush \| 1 It’s 1869 and diamonds have been found in Cape Colony. Now, diamond hunters from across the world are heading to this remote British outpost in southern Africa, seeking a glittering fortune. And among them are two wide-eyed hopefuls: streetwise Barney ...
06.22.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Examining Toxic Company Culture in the Rideshare Industry \| 7 Uber and Lyft have made their mark as very different brands. Lyft was born out of a need for more environmentally friendly rideshare options. And is also seen as the “friendlier” of the two companies. While Uber’s former CEO, Travis ...
06.17.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Evolve or Die \| 6 New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is cleaning house after the departure of Travis Kalanick. But after a disappointing IPO, Khosrowshahi has to boost the company’s ailing financials and fight against lawmakers who are siding with aggrieved drivers. Then COVID-19 hits. Uber ...
06.15.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Damage Control \| 5 February 2017, Super Bowl Sunday. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is taking a black car home when he gets in an altercation with the driver. LIttle does he know, the entire exchange has been captured on a dashcam recording. And when ...
06.10.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Kill or Be Killed \| 4 Uber is facing blowback from all directions — the taxi industry, riders, and the most important man in tech: Apple's Tim Cook. Uber’s been engaged in some disreputable activity, and it's finally catching up with them. Lyft forges ahead and ...
06.08.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Race to the Bottom \| 3 It's 2013, and Lyft's CEO John Zimmer is hosting a little celebration for drivers when some very unwelcome interlopers turn up to crash the party. Uber’s Travis Kalanick wants to destroy Lyft at any cost, and he's willing to do ...
06.03.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Revenge Business \| 2 It's the late '90s, and Travis Kalanick is hanging out in his dorm room at UCLA. He’s having a file-sharing party with his friends that leads to his first business. But Kalanick’s forced to grow up quickly as he learns ...
06.01.2020 Uber vs Lyft \| Black Cars and Pink Mustaches \| 1 It’s December 2008, and two friends and fellow tech entrepreneurs, Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick, can't get a taxi. Camp’s already obsessed with the idea of a service that summons a private driver with the push of a button, but ...
05.27.2020 Business Battles \| Toilet Paper Wars: White Gold \| 5 Quarantine restrictions during the coronavirus have induced toilet paper panic-buying as people scratch, claw and punch each other to get rolls. But why? What’s behind the frenzy, and how will that affect the TP industry? In the last 150 years, ...
05.20.2020 Business Battles \| Tetris: Soviet Blocks \| 4 It’s 1988, and Tetris is making waves. It’s billed as the first Soviet video game, and it’s selling fast. But the man who introduced it to the West harbors a secret: he doesn’t own the rights. And when his subterfuge ...

Business Wars

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Business Wars episodes:

Pandemic Economy: Best of Business Wars Daily | 61

Wondery Presents: Dr. Death Season 2

Gallo: Godfather Of Wine | The Gallo Family Today | 7

Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | Wine is Thicker Than Blood | 6

Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | The Grapes of Wrath | 5

Introducing a Wondery+ Exclusive Season of Business Wars: SAT vs. ACT

Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | Thunderbird | 4

Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | The Miracle Year | 3

Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | Violence in the Vineyard | 2

Gallo: Godfathers of Wine | The Gangster and The Grape Grower | 1

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | Hut In A Rut? | 7

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | The Pizza Confession | 6

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | Slices of Science | 5

Sponsored | Seoul Taco Founder David Choi on the ‘Right Way’ to Expand a Business | 2

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | Deliverance | 4

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | Delivering the Goods | 3

Sponsored | From Food Truck to Franchise: How David Choi Started Seoul Taco | 1

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | Meltdown | 2

Pizza Hut vs Domino's | Rolling out | 1

FedEx vs UPS | FedEx, UPS and Amazon’s Close Ties to the Postal Service | 7

FedEx vs UPS | Deal with the Devil | 6

FedEx vs UPS | On the Line | 5

FedEx vs UPS | When in Rome... | 4

FedEx vs UPS | We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Plane | 3

FedEx vs UPS | Vegas or Bust | 2

FedEx vs UPS | Kick the Tire, Light the Fires | 1

Dating App Wars | Dating Apps Pivot as COVID-19 Continues | 7

Dating App Wars | An App-rehensive Future | 6

Dating App Wars | Are You Ready to Bumble? | 5

Dating App Wars | Crimes of Passion | 4

Dating App Wars | The Revolution Will Be Swiped | 3

Dating App Wars | eHarmonic Convergence | 2

Dating App Wars | Lighting Up Match.com | 1

Diamond Wars | The Future of the Diamond Industry | 8

Diamond Wars | The Alchemists | 7

Diamond Wars | Monopolies Aren’t Forever | 6

Diamond Wars | Blood and Champagne | 5

Diamond Wars | The Shadow World | 4

Diamond Wars | Diamond Dogfight | 3

Diamond Wars | The Puppet Master | 2

Diamond Wars | The Diamond Rush | 1

Uber vs Lyft | Examining Toxic Company Culture in the Rideshare Industry | 7

Uber vs Lyft | Evolve or Die | 6

Uber vs Lyft | Damage Control | 5

Uber vs Lyft | Kill or Be Killed | 4

Uber vs Lyft | Race to the Bottom | 3

Uber vs Lyft | Revenge Business | 2

Uber vs Lyft | Black Cars and Pink Mustaches | 1

Business Battles | Toilet Paper Wars: White Gold | 5

Business Battles | Tetris: Soviet Blocks | 4

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