Business Wars

It's 1904, and ambitious French chemist Eugène Schueller quits his job as a researcher to focus on formulating the first synthetic hair dye. Teaming up with Parisian hairdressers to spread the word about his product, he soon expands into hair care and sunscreen, relying on his knack for innovative marketing to spread the word.  Meanwhile, in Queens, New York, a young Estée Lauder is inspired...

It’s 1946, and after years of building a cult following thanks to free samples and loyal customers, Estée Lauder finally has an opportunity to join the big leagues. She can now sell her high-quality makeup products in department stores in New York City. Unphased by competitors with deeper pockets and wider distribution, she possesses a passion for making women feel beautiful that sets her apart.&n...

As the Space Race moves into the present day, Elon Musk recoups SpaceX’s losses and edges ahead of Blue Origin. But now his competition is coming not just from Jeff Bezos, but from like-minded dreamers in Russia and China. For more on the coming battle for space supremacy, we speak with Tim Fernholz. He wrote Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the New Space Race, and writes about space...

It's 2016 and Virgin Galactic is about to re-enter the space race following its fatal test flight two years earlier. But the company's early lead in human spaceflight is eroding fast. Blue Origin, Boeing and SpaceX are closing in. The race to become the first private company to launch a person into space is almost over and there can only be one winner. Pre-order our new book  The Art of Busin...

It's 2013 and the long cold war between Blue Origin and SpaceX is about to go nuclear. The clash begins when NASA puts its most famous launchpad up for lease, and escalates fast. Soon SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the United Launch Alliance will be reaching for any weapon they can use to disrupt each other's plans. Listen to new episodes 1 week early and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wond...

It's 2009 and a new president is looking to shake up the space world by opening up the stars to private industry.  But with NASA’s space shuttle about to retire, the United States soon won't be able to reach the International Space Station without Russian help. U.S. leadership in space hangs in the balance and everyone's looking to the new space companies to deliver the solution. Pre-order ou...

It's 2005 and SpaceX is about to find itself exiled to a tropical island, but this is no vacation. It's in a race against time to get the Falcon 1 rocket into orbit before Musk's millions runs out. But as the failures mount, Musk stares ruin in the face. Pre-order our new book  The Art of Business Wars  now before it is released on April 13. Listen to new episodes 1 week early and to all...

It's 2003 and in the Mojave Desert, renegade aviation genius Burt Rutan is building a spaceship funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. But while Rutan and Allen are preparing to launch the world's first privately funded astronaut, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are still struggling to get their space missions off the ground. Pre-order our new book  The Art of Business Wars  now before it i...

It's 2001 and a 30-year-old Elon Musk has just been fired from Pay-Pal, the company he co-founded. In need of a second act, he hits on the idea of bankrolling a bizarre Mars mission. But he's not the only tech tycoon who's stargazing. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also got space fever. But Bezos’ first step in the interstellar arena will almost cost him his life. Pre-order our new book  The A...

With the world plugging into the Internet, toys are under pressure. Kids are swapping plastic play for screen-based entertainment and both Mattel and Hasbro need to adapt. The question is: how? Mattel’s also finding out the hard way that Barbie’s reign as the queen of dolls is no longer secure. Challengers to her throne are emerging and the first strike against the dream doll comes not from Hasbro...

A few months ago, Mattel’s revenues were just fifty million dollars behind Hasbro’s. But now that Hasbro’s swallowed Tonka—the classic maker of Nerf, Play-Doh, and Monopoly—Mattel is half a  billion  dollars behind, and CEO John Amerman isn’t happy about it. Ever since Hasbro turned British fashion doll Sindy into a Barbie lookalike, the two toymakers have been at war. Now Amerman is loo...

It’s the early 1980s and things are not looking good for Hasbro. The company hasn’t had a hit since Hungry Hungry Hippos; its founding CEO Merrill Hassenfeld has just died; now Star Wars dolls have just about gobbled up the entire action figure market. Hasbro needs to deliver a toy capable of taking on the Star Wars dolls, or else the company risks losing its only source of stable income, the fami...

Sizzlers, Mattel’s new motorized Hot Wheels, were supposed to be the top toy this Christmas. But sales have fizzled, leaving Mattel $30 million below target. For the last ten years, Mattel’s done exceptionally well by its investors, but now the toymaker is facing a stock price collapse. To keep up appearances, Mattel starts cooking its books—but the move may end up costing CEO Ruth Handler the com...

It’s the 1960s and Hasbro is struggling. The pencil manufacturer turned toymaker hasn’t had a major success since Mr. Potato Head hit the shelves in 1952, and it’s starting to lose money. If the company doesn’t act fast, it’ll be headed for bankruptcy in no time. Mattel’s “accessories sold separately” approach to Barbie has revolutionized the industry. Now Hasbro’s toymakers hope to replicate her...

It’s the late 1940s and two small toymakers are taking their first uneasy steps. The names of these young hopefuls are Hasbro and Mattel. One’s an offshoot of a pencil manufacturer. The other a husband-and-wife garage start-up.  But toy-making, they soon discover, is an unexpectedly cutthroat business. If either of these companies hopes to survive--let alone succeed--they’re going to need to...

With TikTok’s legal future hanging in the balance, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t been shy about borrowing what works from the Chinese upstart and replicating it within Instagram. But his copycat feature Reels made more of a ripple than a splash when it debuted. For more on TikTok’s woes, we speak with Taylor Lorenz. She covers culture and technology for the New York Times and tells us why Ti...

It's July 2020. TikTok usage has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it faces an unexpected threat — powerful politicians with their own agenda. Now, TikTok must find a solution or risk being shut down in the U.S.  Instagram, meanwhile, strikes back with a new feature. It's another copycat product the company's putting front and center for its 1 billion users. And one that could spe...

It’s November 2018. Mark Zuckerberg takes a hit as his copycat TikTok product fails miserably. Then, Instagram faces another disaster when a security breach draws ire from users. But Zuckerberg decides to launch a direct attack on his Chinese competitor.  TikTok emerges as a major hitmaker in the music business and cements its place in pop culture. But founder Zhang Yiming's hot app comes und...

It's August 2016 and Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are about to pull off the tech equivalent of a heist — and they just might get away with it. But despite its success, Instagram faces trouble at home when Mark Zuckerberg starts rocking the boat. In China, TikTok founder Zhang Yiming has his eyes on global expansion. He's willing to spend big to acquire his competition — and...

It’s the mid '90s and Kevin Systrom is editing a video game. It's his first taste of coding, but it won't be his last. When he grows up, he's going to build a product used by more than a billion people.  Across the Pacific Ocean, in a rural part of China, Zhang Yiming is having a very different childhood. But he and Systrom share a common North Star: The American Dream. Achieving that dream,...

It’s July 2010, and Kevin Systrom is on holiday in Mexico when he has an idea for how to save his failing app: offer filters to make users’ photos more appealing. He gets back to San Francisco and teams up with his friend Mike Krieger. Together they launch Instagram, a platform that will revolutionize how we interact with society. Meanwhile in Beijing, China, Zhang Yiming starts a news aggregator...

Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, will break the mold this year, as the pandemic sends retailers scrambling for new ways to bring in customers while minimizing large crowds. But the changes to American shopping habits predate the pandemic. Host David Brown talks with Business Insider retail correspondent Madeline Stone about what to expect from a COVID Christmas and which changes...

Consumers are increasingly looking to buy from brands whose values match their own, and denim is no different. These days, the jeans giants are not only facing down threats from each other, but navigating a new era of partisan consumerism. For more on how denim and other industries are appealing to consumers on both sides of the aisle, we speak with Cait Lamberton. She's a professor of marketing a...

It's 1999 and Levi's is a company in trouble. It's drowning in debt, out of fashion, and hobbled by sub-par distribution. But while Levi's searches for a way to make a comeback, a new, fast-growing enemy is out to convince people to abandon jeans altogether. Listen ad-free on Wondery+ here Support us by supporting our sponsors! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

It's the '80s and Levi's is far out in front in the battle for denim dominance.  But Lee owner V.F. Corporation isn't giving up. It's about to make a major move that will pile the pressure on Levi's and threaten its status as market leader. Listen ad-free on Wondery+ here See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...