Business Wars

It’s 1987 in Denver, Colorado, and a 22-year-old stockbroker named Rick Schaden invests a market windfall into a Quiznos franchise. Four years later, he and his wealthy father buy all 18 stores. Their outlandish dream: take on Subway. Meanwhile, a college kid manages to lose 245 pounds eating 2 Subway sandwiches a day. With “Jared the Subway Guy” as their new spokesperson, and the introduction of...

It’s 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and 17-year-old Fred DeLuca needs money to pay for college. A family friend makes him a surprising offer and they become unlikely partners, opening a string of barely profitable restaurants called Pete’s Submarines. Their luck changes when DeLuca refines their cash flow management process and recruits their  first franchisee. They give the burgeoning rest...

Can old school fast food chains lure in hipper, younger diners with AI-powered features, EV charging stations and playgrounds? We'll consider what brands like Subway are doing to draw new customers and also whether the grain bowl trend has staying power. Restaurant industry journalist Sam Oches and comedian Kyle Kinane join us for this meaty discussion. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wo...

Is your house team Target or team Walmart? Depending on where you live, or what you’re trying to buy, the answer might be one, or both. Even though these stores sell a lot of the same merchandise, shoppers have very different perceptions — and allegiances. Here to explore the ‘target’ demographics of your favorite big box stores is Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Nassauer , who has covered majo...

It’s 2013 and Target’s troubles are multiplying. The Minneapolis retailer’s big push into Canada is getting the cold shoulder and a gang of cybercriminals are about to bust open its network and stage a billion-dollar heist. But while Target firefights, Walmart is focusing on a newer, more hi-tech foe: Amazon. And as the war for shoppers moves from bricks to bytes, Target’s new CEO Brian Cornell ne...

It’s early 2005 and Walmart’s reeling from a dismal holiday season. It hoped to improve its image by playing nice with rivals only to watch Target snatch away its shoppers. So now it’s looking to hit back by muscling in on the cheap-chic action that’s sent Target’s growth soaring. But Walmart’s about to find that winning over the fashion conscious is as much about brand as design. Binge all episod...

It’s the 1990s and Walmart’s replaced Kmart as America’s biggest retailer.  But now that it’s on top, its business practices are under fire. And for Target, that’s an opportunity to paint itself as the friendly alternative to the Bentonville juggernaut. But to really break through, Target knows it must stand apart from its bigger opponent. And it’s about to find what it needs in the design di...

It’s 1962 and a new retail trend’s catching fire – big-box discount stores that reinvent shopping with out-of-town locations, huge product ranges, and low, low prices. And at opposite ends of the country, two hopefuls are jumping on the bandwagon. In Arkansas, five-and-dime owner Sam Walton’s opening his first Wal-Mart. In Minnesota, the upscale Dayton’s department store is readying a discount cha...

What's old is new again. Second-hand shopping is taking off online and the big brands want a piece of the action. Meanwhile, fast-fashion companies are working to reinvent themselves in the eyes of Gen Z. To unzip these shifts in retail, we're joined by comedian Cat Alvarado and editor Kaarin Vembar.  Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, ea...

It’s 2017, and after months of sky-high price rises, the crypto bubble is about to burst. But as scammers and investor panic crash the market, the Winklevoss twins’ nemesis Mark Zuckerberg is making moves. He’s planning a push into crypto designed to put Facebook at the center of global finance. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access,...

It’s the mid-2010s and a new blockchain called Ethereum is shaking up crypto. It’s the creation of nineteen-year-old Vitalik Buterin, and it’s inspiring a flood of new digital coins and a gold rush for crypto. But as millions of investors buy crypto for the first time, Coinbase feels the strain. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access,...

It’s 2015 and Coinbase is out to carve up the crypto scene with its new exchange. But it’s about to face strong headwinds in the form of state regulators, banks, and the Winklevoss twins’ new startup Gemini. And as Coinbase’s growth slows, CEO Brian Armstrong faces pressure to abandon crypto. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, an...

It’s 2013 and bitcoin’s gaining traction at last. But just as crypto reaches for credibility, bitcoin is blindsided by high-profile arrests, corporate collapses and multi-million-dollar hacks. But as the leading lights of the bitcoin industry crash and burn, Coinbase senses a chance to cash in on the failures of others. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusiv...

It’s 2011, and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are trying to move on from their legal battle with Mark Zuckerberg over who created Facebook. And their nemesis is about to derail the twins’ dreams again. But then a chance encounter on the dance floor catapults them into crypto. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening...

It’s 2009 and in a modest suburban home, a monetary revolution is beginning. It’s called bitcoin and it arrives with a whimper. There’s just no compelling reason to swap dollars for this worthless digital token. But then, a wannabe crime lord spots bitcoin’s potential and enacts a plan to filthy rich. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early a...

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter was… messy, to say the least, and now the multi-billionaire is the CEO of three different companies. That’s got investors wondering: can he handle it? And what’s the plan if he can’t? To dive into this question, we’re talking to Dana Hull, Bloomberg News reporter covering Tesla, and Tim Higgins, author of Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century . Dan...

After weathering an investigation by the government for their EVs catching on fire, Tesla is hit by another probe after things get deadly. But the company is dedicated to Autopilot, its self-driving system. And once again, nearly every iconic brand in Detroit is following along. Elon Musk amps up his Twitter commentary, offending multitudes and putting fear into investors. But company value skyroc...

The battle to dominate the EV market is on. Tesla’s market value is now around $20 billion. At this rate, Tesla could wipe the floor with GM in a decade. Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Chevrolet are taking notes. No one wants to be bringing up the rear. After near-devastating production issues, Tesla is finally churning out hundreds of its Model S every week from its newly acquired, five-acre fac...

In 2010, Tesla Motors has already experienced tremendous highs and devastating lows. Elon Musk is a polarizing figure whose goal is to change the way the traditional auto industry works. It’s been a struggle, but Detroit is finally bowing to the Tesla vision, moving electric vehicles to the top of production slates. But now Motor City wants to control the EV market. The limited run Tesla Roadster...

While the U.S. government pushed automakers to make low-emission vehicles in the 1990s, consumers loved their gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. But in 2003, Elon Musk's Tesla Motors arrives with environmentally friendly, high-performance cars that people actually want. Motor City smirks as Musk pilots Tesla through crushing financial crises, spectacular quality control disasters and his own shocking p...

 The AI revolution is here and the tech behemoths are building and releasing their own chatbots. To talk about their victories and blunders, we're joined by Vox journalist Shirin Ghaffary and comedian and podcast host Jolenta Greenberg. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App ht...

First there was Weight Watchers, then there was Noom, and now there’s…Wegovy? Bloomberg health reporter Emma Court helps us understand the evolution of dieting programs and where they’re going next. Later, Matthew Schnier of New York Magazine and The Cut walks us through his article “Life After Food,” which explores the latest wave of weight loss drugs, like Ozempic, that are sweeping through the...

It's the 2010s and the weight-loss industry's battling intensifying headwinds. Calorie-counting smartphone apps are attracting millions of users and the diet backlash is getting louder by the day. As the pressure mounts, Weight Watchers realizes it needs to move with the times and reinvent itself. But it soon finds itself facing a conundrum: how to change convincingly without alienating the dieter...

It's the early 1990s and the diet boom is over. Weight Watchers is now a millstone around Heinz's neck, Jenny Craig's advance has stalled, and Nutri/System's bankrupt and broken. Faced with tanking sales, the diet giants home need new tricks to get people back on their weight-loss plans. And soon all three are homing in on the same answer – paying celebrities big bucks to convince the public that...

It's 1983 and civil war's broken out within Nutri/System. But while CEO Harold Katz fights his franchisees, his former colleague Jenny Craig has grand designs on Australia. Craig wants to use Australia as a staging post on the way to becoming a U.S. heavyweight, but first she's got to convince women Down Under to diet like Americans. And that's going to be anything but easy. This episode was origi...