Business Wars

TikTok scrambles to respond to President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring ByteDance sell the app to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. But the election of Joe Biden in November 2020 offers the company a brief reprieve. TikTok works to make a deal with the new administration, but reports come out that TikTok may not have been completely honest about the privacy of American user data, je...

In 2018, Chinese tech company ByteDance launched TikTok in the United States, determined to make the app one of the top entertainment platforms in the country. And by spring 2020, ByteDance achieved its goal, thanks, in part, to a global pandemic that sees people spending more time on their phones. But while TikTok faces competition from other social media sites, its greatest threat is t...

Would you fly on a Boeing 737-Max plane? Ed Pierson won’t. He’s a former Boeing senior manager who blew the whistle on safety concerns with the 737-Max project. Today, Ed is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety , and he joins David to discuss Boeing then and now, and where it all went wrong.  Later, Sharon Terlep , aerospace reporter for the Wall Street Journal, dives...

With losses from the 737 Max scandal spiraling into the billions, Boeing’s new CEO Dave Calhoun is looking to bring the crisis to a swift end. But he’s about to face major headwinds. Headwinds that threaten to destroy the entire company. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Business Wa...

Boeing scrambles to improve its bestseller, the 737, as its competitor Airbus brings an upgraded rival plane to market. To create the 737 MAX, Boeing has to figure out a way to fit modern jet engines onto the 737’s aging airframe. When the MAX encounters problems, Boeing then creates a computer system to fix them. But their lack of transparency with both regulators and pilots will backfire badly.&...

It’s the late 1990s and the seeds of Boeing’s business disaster are being sown. An aerospace mega-merger and fierce competition from its chief rival Airbus are about to transform Boeing in ways that will lead to tragedy. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Business Wars on the Wondery...

In this special episode, we're taking you behind the scenes of the show. We'll delve into how we chose our host and how the first season got off the ground. Then we'll explore how we bring the story to life with sound. And comedian Josh Gondelman will give David Brown a bit of a grilling. Plus, David reflects on a listener's message.  Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, cura...

It’s 2019 and after another deadly plane crash, Boeing finds its reputation and business in free fall. Its best-selling passenger jet, the 737 Max, is forced out of the skies and the company is forced to reckon with its mistakes.   Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Busines...

TikTok gift guides and social media shopping platforms changed the game this holiday season. So how much did shoppers spend — and where did they make those purchases? Hint: it definitely wasn't Target. David is joined by Jordyn Holman, retail reporter for The New York Times, and Kitty Guo, a writer for The Strategist covering gifting, to find out how shopping habits shifted in 2024. Be the first t...

Bob Iger has held the keys to the Disney castle since 2005. The last time this larger-than-life CEO tried to leave, an entire proxy battle broke out under the nose of his successor. Now, with Iger’s contract up in 2026, the entertainment industry (and Wall Street) are wondering who — and what — will come next. Sean McNulty, co-host of The Ankler Podcast, joins David to break down Disney’s next ste...

When CEO Bob Iger fails to reassure Wall Street about his plans for Disney’s traditional TV operations, Nelson Peltz seizes the chance to launch a fresh attack on the Magic Kingdom. And this time, he won’t back down. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Business Wars on the Wondery App...

It’s 2022 and Disney is in trouble. The combined forces of pandemic shutdowns, box-office bombs and political missteps have hammered Disney’s stock price. Marvel’s jilted former boss sees an opportunity. He allies with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz to plot a boardroom coup. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.f...

Is nostalgia alone enough to keep Chuck E. Cheese afloat in 2025? As the chain continues to crawl its way out of bankruptcy, they’ll need to win over the next generation of kids — or perhaps, their parents — to keep the arcade lights on. Ben Coley of the trade publication QSR Magazine joins David to discuss how Chuck E. Cheese is making money these days, and whether they’ll be able to stick i...

It’s 1982, and after months of bitter fighting, Nolan Bushnell of Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theater and Robert Brock of ShowBiz Pizza Place finally strike a legal truce. With the video game market crashing and the novelty of their brands fading, Chuck E. Cheese faces mounting debt and is forced to file for bankruptcy. ShowBiz Pizza, also feeling the economic strain, realizes their only chance t...

It’s 1976, and Atari founder Nolan Bushnell is on a mission to launch a family arcade disguised as a pizza parlor. He comes up with a name that’s impossible not to smile at—“Chuck E. Cheese”—and combines pizza, video games, and animatronic entertainment. The chain quickly becoming the go-to destination for a generation of American kids. And as business takes off, hotel mogul Robert Brock sees the...

Get ready for a Business Wars pizza party! Sporkful podcast host  Dan Pashman  and Eater NYC reporter  Melissa McCart  join David to settle the years long debate: is East Coast pizza really better? Then, Dan goes out in the field to put  hot honey  pizza to the test. Plus, find out how foodies read the trends to determine whether a slice is all hype, or worth the wait...

Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger boomed in the 2010s, but changing tastes have turned their sizzle into a fizzle. And as they continue to slide deeper into debt, these companies have struggled to get back on top of the plant-based food chain. . What’s next for these meatless giants? Jason Kartalian and Mike Keller, co-hosts of the podcast Vegan Hacks , join David to discuss the future of Beyond M...

It’s 2022 and Kim Kardashian is chowing down on a Beyond Burger. But the Internet buzzes over whether she actually ate it. Meanwhile, after a boom in business during the pandemic, Americans are now cutting back on plant-based meats. And concerns are growing over their nutritional value. That creates a financial pinch for both Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, and both companies will have to consid...

It’s 2019 and plant-based meats are on fire. But they’re also under fire. Supporters of the beef industry start a food fight with the plant-based meat industry. It kicks off on Super Bowl Sunday, with an aggressive TV ad. But Pat Brown’s Impossible Foods fights back with an ad of its own. Meanwhile, Ethan Brown pushes Beyond Meat to grow at all costs. As debts mount, Ethan tries to get the king of...

It’s 2016 and both Pat Brown’s Impossible Foods and Ethan Brown’s Beyond Meat are cooking up plant-based burgers for mass consumption. Ethan tries to woo Whole Foods executives to carry his Beyond Burger in their stores from coast-to-coast. Pat’s taking a different route. He’s asking celebrity chefs to put his Impossible Burger — a plant-based meat that bleeds — on their menus. Soon enough, fake m...

It's 2008 and two men, both vegans, ponder what they can do to improve the climate. Though they’re on separate sides of the country and in different professions (but they coincidentally share a last name)— Ethan Brown is in the fuel cell business and Pat Brown is a lauded Stanford biochemist — they land on the same solution. They’re going to try and lessen the climate impact of animal agriculture...

From smash burgers to plant patties, this episode is serving up some of the biggest trends in the burger world, and examining whether they're here to stay. Later, David puts some of Southern California's most iconic burgers to the test with Josh Scherer and Nicole Enayati, co-hosts of Mythical Kitchen , and Eater LA Reporter Mona Holmes . Listen to Business Wars on the Wondery App or wherever you...

Once upon a time, it was Anna Wintour’s world and we were all just living in it. Now, social media creators are starting to drive the conversation around fashion trends – while legacy magazines like Vogue figure out how to stay relevant, and avoid losing touch with their readers. Washington Post Style Writer Rachel Tashjian joins David to unpack the next wave of fashion journalism, and what the fu...

It’s the 1990s and new media is changing the game for all the glossies. InStyle leads the way in featuring celebrities as fashion and lifestyle icons. Meanwhile, Vogue struggles to establish its first website and television vertical, and is laid low by 9-11, along with Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and most of the media industry. Then Wintour has a series of missteps. But by the 2010s, Vogue’s ent...

It’s the 1930’s and Harper’s Bazaar publisher William Randolph Hearst steals away Vogue’s star editor, Carmel Snow. Harper Bazaar is within striking distance of its rival. But under the direction of the Newhouse family, Vogue reaches a new peak. They snatch the outrageous Diana Vreeland from Harper’s Bazaar and install her as Editor-in-Chief. Vreeland’s magical mixture of fantasy, outlandishness a...