Business Wars

We're talking about corporate blunders at unicorn tech companies and how they recover — or don't. We're joined by Vanity Fair's Caleb Ecarma, Victoria Song from the Verge and comedian Matt Braunger, who's just released the new comedy special "Doug."

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The car market is changing rapidly. The race for the next big all-electric vehicle is on! American automakers like Ford and GM are ramping up their EV production — but so are South Korean car brands like Hyundai and Kia. So where does that leave Toyota and Honda, who have been notoriously late to the EV party? Wall Street Journal Autos Editor Christina Rogers joins us to explore whether these powerhouse Japanese companies can defend their spot at the top, or if their American and South Korean competitors have officially knocked them off the throne.

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The Year 2000 is approaching and Toyota’s new boss Hiroshi Okuda’s looking to the future. After years of cautious success, he wants to be bold and take the fight to the world’s motor king, General Motors.

And to kickstart Toyota’s new direction, he wants Toyota to deliver the world’s first gasoline-electric hybrid. But Honda’s also working on an eco-car of its own and it’s about to crash the party.

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It’s the 1980s and the American backlash against the Japanese automobile invasion is growing. With a US-Japan trade war looming, Honda and Toyota need workarounds fast.

But Honda’s no longer content just selling small cars with low profit margins. It wants a piece of Mercedes and BMW’s action too. And when Honda unveils its plans, Toyota’s going to fall behind.

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It’s the 1960s and Honda’s about to speed into the car market before Japan’s government can put up legal roadblocks to stop it.

Meanwhile,Toyota’s already zooming ahead. Its latest models are about to take Japan by storm and arm it with the funds it needs to make another run at the U.S.A.

But to break America, Toyota and Honda will need to outmanoeuvre the auto titans of Detroit.

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It’s 1945. Japan lies in ruins in the aftermath of World War II. The population’s starving, the cities are reduced to rubble, and the nation’s defeated. But from the war-torn wreckage, two motor giants are about to rise.

The first is Toyota. It’s the brainchild of Kiichiro Toyoda, the big-dreaming son of a wealthy industrialist who wants to create Japan’s answer to Ford.

But the other contender must travel a harder road. Its founder Soichiro Honda is a poor boy from the sticks and his only resource is his own ingenuity. So he’s starting on two – not four – wheels.

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We're tracking the seismic shifts in the car industry from scarce car chips to the impact of inflation. On this episode, we're joined by Wall Street Journal reporter Sean McLain and comedian Kurt Braunohler, who's just released the new comedy special "Perfectly Stupid."

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Are you Team Taco Bell or Team Chipotle? The two fast food giants are competing for the hearts (and stomachs) of their consumers, as well as the coveted Gen Z market. On today’s show, Mary Meisenzahl, a fast food reporter from Business Insider joins us to weigh in on which brand is pulling ahead. She’ll also share her experience touring Taco Bell’s famous test kitchen. Later, SFGate reporter Andrew Pridgen brings us to the street in Bakersfield, California where fast food chains debut their new creations before bringing them to larger markets. Hope you’re hungry!

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It's 2009 and with its 50th anniversary closing in fast, Taco Bell is hunting for ways to reconnect with the young people who gobble up most of the nation's fast food.

But with the new wave of fast-food chains led by Chipotle challenging legacy brands like McDonald's and Taco Bell, the taco king needs something that can capture the imagination of the Instagram generation.

But while Taco Bell seeks social media likes, Chipotle's about to take a major fall as a spate of food poisoning sickens its customers.

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It's the late '90s and Chipotle founder Steve Ells is using McDonald's millions to make his burrito chain a national giant. But as he scales up, he finds himself looking for a way to escape the fast-food machine he's hitched a ride on.

But while Chipotle gathers speed, Taco Bell's hoping to keep its diners hooked with help from its own twist on Mountain Dew and less messy food options.

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