Many regarded Jawbone as one of the pioneers in wearables. After making its mark as a Bluetooth headset maker, it pivoted to capitalize on the new and highly desirable fitness tracking market. This pivot and expansion into a hot new area allowed Jawbone to attract funding from top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firms and helped them amass a world-class board that included Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer and Warner Music Group’s COO Robert Wiesenthal. With all the funding in the place and the right team behind it, it seemed like Jawbone would be unstoppable. 
So how did a groundbreaking industry pioneer find itself entangled in corporate espionage, public embarrassment, and a string of unhappy customers? Get the full story on Episode 45 of The Great Fail.
For full show notes please visit www.TheGreatFail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 45: How Jawbone went from Wearable to Terrible

The Great Fail is a true crime inspired, business podcast that examines the greatest success stories of the most prominent and prolific companies, brands, and people and what led to their demise. If you love true crime and stories of massive failures, you've come to the right place! Here we take a forensic look at stories that will irk you, shock you, and have you picking your jaw up off the floor, all while learning the oftentimes avoidable, mistakes that have ended the lives of companies and left boardrooms looking like crime scenes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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With the latest buzz surrounding Jeffrey Katzenberg's newest venture WndrCo, raising a staggering $460 million, we thought...what better time than now to bring back an old fan favorite episode, Quibi?
Launched in April 2020 during a worldwide pandemic, Quibi was a new streaming service focused on premium short-form content. With Co-founders Jeffrey Katzenberg, former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Meg Whitman, former CEO of HP, having almost $2 billion in funding, the support of major Hollywood studios, and tons of A-list celebrity clout. But even with all of that, Quibi was dead on arrival, folding just after just six months. Get the full scoop on this week's episode of The Great Fail.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flashback: Quibi's Sunken Ship

On the cold morning of January 28th, 1986, anticipation filled the air as the space shuttle Challenger prepared for its 10th mission. This historic event featured Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian to join a space mission, aiming to inspire students with live broadcasts from orbit. Tragically, just 73 seconds after launch, the Challenger exploded, leaving millions of viewers in shock. In the months that followed, the Rogers Commission, led by former Secretary of State William P. Rogers, was formed to investigate the disaster. What they found would shake America's trust in NASA for years to come.   Tune in to Episode 67 of The Great Fail to hear the full story. Special thanks to Adam Higginbotham for his contributions to this segment. 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 67: Space Shuttle Challenger

In 2015, Alex Garden, the enigmatic co-founder and CEO of Zume, unveiled an ambitious plan to revolutionize the pizza industry with advanced technology and robots. His concept caught the attention of major venture capital funds, including Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo, and SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund. With substantial funding and media attention, Zume seemed poised to transform the food industry. However, despite having all the right ingredients, what led to their downfall was so outrageous it will have you scratching your head and questioning how half-baked the management was. This is sure to be one of the most intriguing failures you've ever heard about yet.   Tune in to Episode 66 of The Great Fail to hear the full story. Special thanks to Joanna Fantozzi for her contributions to this segment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 66: Zume’s Meltdown

In the 1980s, Action Park was a summer hotspot for many in the Tri-State area, attracting visitors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Entrepreneur Gene Mulvihill sought to transform the former Great Gorge Ski Resort into his own 'Disney of Jersey'—one of the first modern American water parks. The concept was promising.
Yet, the reality took a darker turn with poorly designed rides, inexperienced staff, and unrestricted alcohol, resulting in hundreds of injuries and six deaths. These dangers left many wondering how and why Action Park could continue operating so many years without any repercussions?
Tune in to Episode 65 of The Great Fail, to hear the story. Special thanks to Seth Porges, director of Class Action Park, for his insights in this segment. All credits and sources can be found at www.thegreatfail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 65: Action Park’s Final Thrill

American wrestling, which most notably revolves around the WWE brand, owes much of its success to the influential presence of the McMahons - Vince McMahon, most of all. There is no doubt about the influence he had on wrestling and the way he turned the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan into household names, as well as his role in creating the blueprint for pay-per-view programming. However, in the wake of the legacy he has left behind, are allegations - a dirty laundry list that includes sexual misconduct and lawsuits claiming his abuse of power. For more than four decades, he was both an executive and a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical "Mr. McMahon." But to what extent does the fiction intertwine or blur into reality?
Tune in to Episode 64 of The Great Fail to hear the story. Special thanks to Abraham Josephine Riesman for her contributions to this segment.
For show notes and sources, please visit: www.thegreatfail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 45: How Jawbone went from Wearable to Terrible

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