Spectacular Failures
Corporate crookedness. Family feuding. Hilariously half-baked decisions. Host Lauren Ober tackles some of the most spectacular business failures of all time, and what could have been done to avoid them. Some of these stories are shocking. Some are funny. Some are just downright sad. But each one wil… read more
Introducing Spectacular Failures
May 30th, 2019
Corporate crookedness. Family feuding. Hilariously half-baked decisions. Host Lauren Ober tackles some of the most spectacular business failures of …
A Christian theme park plunges into scandal
June 17th, 2019
How Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s wildly popular Christian theme park was upended by fraud, scandal and lavish spending.
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MoviePass begins with plenty of drama
June 24th, 2019
Unlimited movie theater tickets for $9.99 a month? It sounds too good to be true and, well... it might be.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on …
Kodak misses its moment
July 15th, 2019
The world's largest photography company pioneers the snapshot, invents the digital camera and... declares bankruptcy.
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Family fighting sends U-Haul on a detour
July 22nd, 2019
Failed therapy sessions, fistfights in the board room and even murder accusations. U-Haul’s trip to bankruptcy will make you think twice about mixing …
The inferno that transformed American labor
July 29th, 2019
The aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire helped usher in higher wages, safer conditions and a prohibition on child labor. But the problems that led to the fire haven’t gone away. Not even close.
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Lincoln Savings loses it all
August 5th, 2019
Charles Keating robbed working people of their life savings and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. All under the watch of powerful politicians.
You …
Trump's big gamble on Atlantic City
August 19th, 2019
By the time the final dice were thrown, Trump's Atlantic City casino operations had gone bankrupt six times. Despite that, Trump won the long game.
…
Spectacular Failures - Season Two
July 20th, 2020
Spectacular Failures is back for season two, starting August 3rd! 2020 has been a year of fail. Global pandemic, check. Economic meltdown, check. …
Blue Apron wilts, then rises to a new challenge
August 3rd, 2020
The meal kit delivery service was almost belly-up before the pandemic hit. But then people stuck cooking at home gave the brand a lifeline. Investors found it tastier than ever, but will customers still hanker for the …
Forever 21 goes from rags to riches to bankruptcy court
August 10th, 2020
The mom-and-pop fast-fashion retailer exploded into malls across the globe. But eventually, Forever 21 unraveled like the hem on a cheap crop top.
Our sponsors this week:
Fiverr: fiverr.com promo code SPECTACULAR
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The curtain falls on a big Broadway company
August 17th, 2020
Livent was a showstopper of an operation. But eventually, forgery and fraud stole the scene, the money exited stage left, and the lead actor landed …
The toxic tale of the Love Canal fail
August 24th, 2020
When Hooker Chemical sold its infamous toxic waste landfill to the Niagara Falls School Board, the $1 deal left Niagara residents seriously ill. But …
Napster fought the law and the law won
August 31st, 2020
The recording industry, Metallica, and ultimately federal court put the brakes on Napster’s music file sharing. But before exiting the stage, Napster …
A dairy giant gets milked
September 7th, 2020
Got milk? These days, chances are maybe not. Americans have been saying no thanks for years now, and changing consumer tastes have been bad news for what used to be the nation’s largest milk processor, Dean Foods.
Sign …
Pan Am hits major turbulence
September 14th, 2020
Pan Am made air travel cool—from chic crew uniforms to exotic locations to square-jawed flyboy pilots. But a couple of bad business deals, massive …
Subprime times at Countrywide Financial
September 21st, 2020
Before the housing bubble burst, Countrywide Financial was one of the nation’s largest home mortgage lenders. But after years of predatory lending …
NYC Taxi Medallions' steep fare
September 28th, 2020
Even before Uber and Lyft pulled into town, NYC yellow cabs were having a rough ride. Reckless lending practices and inflated taxi medallion prices …
Sqirl finds itself in a jam
October 5th, 2020
The Los Angeles restaurant Sqirl had lines down the block for brunches that featured its famous house-made jams on toast. But then a photo of …
Listen to This: What's Your Problem?
March 25th, 2022
You may know Jacob Goldstein as the former host of the Planet Money podcast. Now, he’s combining his expertise about the money and business worlds …
Listen to This: The Loudest Girl in the World
September 12th, 2022
The Loudest Girl in the World is a new podcast from that tells the story of Lauren Ober's journey to understand what the hell it means to be on the autism spectrum and how to live life as a newly diagnosed autistic …
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