Business Wars

It’s 2011, and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are trying to move on from their legal battle with Mark Zuckerberg over who created Facebook. And their nemesis is about to derail the twins’ dreams again. But then a chance encounter on the dance floor catapults them into crypto.

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It’s 2009 and in a modest suburban home, a monetary revolution is beginning. It’s called bitcoin and it arrives with a whimper. There’s just no compelling reason to swap dollars for this worthless digital token. But then, a wannabe crime lord spots bitcoin’s potential and enacts a plan to filthy rich.

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Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter was… messy, to say the least, and now the multi-billionaire is the CEO of three different companies. That’s got investors wondering: can he handle it? And what’s the plan if he can’t?

To dive into this question, we’re talking to Dana Hull, Bloomberg News reporter covering Tesla, and Tim Higgins, author of Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century. Dana brings us the latest on Tesla, while Tim dives deep into the man behind the billions — and whether his Twitter bet will pay off.

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After weathering an investigation by the government for their EVs catching on fire, Tesla is hit by another probe after things get deadly. But the company is dedicated to Autopilot, its self-driving system. And once again, nearly every iconic brand in Detroit is following along. Elon Musk amps up his Twitter commentary, offending multitudes and putting fear into investors. But company value skyrockets. As Tesla moves into the 2020s, its' facing hurdles that were unimaginable just a few years ago, from alleged racism to a worldwide pandemic. The effects of these and other crises are still playing out as Tesla heads into the future.

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The battle to dominate the EV market is on. Tesla’s market value is now around $20 billion. At this rate, Tesla could wipe the floor with GM in a decade. Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Chevrolet are taking notes. No one wants to be bringing up the rear. After near-devastating production issues, Tesla is finally churning out hundreds of its Model S every week from its newly acquired, five-acre factory, on par with any plant in Motor City. But Tesla has serious problems to solve. Like how to get cars to the people who want to buy them. And that’s something that Detroit and its vast network of dealerships does very, very well. And it will do whatever it can to keep that advantage to overtake Tesla in the EV market.

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In 2010, Tesla Motors has already experienced tremendous highs and devastating lows. Elon Musk is a polarizing figure whose goal is to change the way the traditional auto industry works. It’s been a struggle, but Detroit is finally bowing to the Tesla vision, moving electric vehicles to the top of production slates. But now Motor City wants to control the EV market. The limited run Tesla Roadster brought attention and kudos. Now ,Musk is pinning his hopes on the new Model S. But he still needs some place to actually make the cars. If he can’t score a factory, the car is just a cool concept. Things have to come together quickly – or Tesla is toast.

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While the U.S. government pushed automakers to make low-emission vehicles in the 1990s, consumers loved their gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. But in 2003, Elon Musk's Tesla Motors arrives with environmentally friendly, high-performance cars that people actually want.

Motor City smirks as Musk pilots Tesla through crushing financial crises, spectacular quality control disasters and his own shocking public displays of bad behavior. But his pricey cars are catching on. Detroit is taking notice. Musk and Tesla are on a path of disruption that will change the industry and put EVs on the map.

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 The AI revolution is here and the tech behemoths are building and releasing their own chatbots. To talk about their victories and blunders, we're joined by Vox journalist Shirin Ghaffary and comedian and podcast host Jolenta Greenberg.

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First there was Weight Watchers, then there was Noom, and now there’s…Wegovy? Bloomberg health reporter Emma Court helps us understand the evolution of dieting programs and where they’re going next. Later, Matthew Schnier of New York Magazine and The Cut walks us through his article “Life After Food,” which explores the latest wave of weight loss drugs, like Ozempic, that are sweeping through the nation’s elite. 

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It's the 2010s and the weight-loss industry's battling intensifying headwinds. Calorie-counting smartphone apps are attracting millions of users and the diet backlash is getting louder by the day.

As the pressure mounts, Weight Watchers realizes it needs to move with the times and reinvent itself. But it soon finds itself facing a conundrum: how to change convincingly without alienating the dieters the business depends on?

This episode was originally released as a Wondery+ exclusive

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