Desperate Acts of Capitalism Podcast

Soylent had a moment in the mid 2010s, but now its star is falling. But why are so many Soylent copycats succeeding today, when the original meal replacement brand continues to flounder? Have the Soy Boys won the long march through the institutions? Join us on today's epic soyventure. Edited and thumbnail by Braden JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon...

What is private equity anyway? This week, DAOC goes back to basics, to discuss the history and function of private equity. Edited by Braden JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/02/news/markets-investing-junk-bonds-still-have-fans-despite-a-dismal-showing-in-20...

Vine spawned some of the internet's most memorable videos, many of which are still circulating the meme economy today. So why did it collapse so quickly? And how could its current reincarnation, Divine, solve the AI slop crisis plaguing other platforms? Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG...

What if there was an amusement park where management literally did not care about safety? What if the danger of dying was part of the allure? What if millions of people flocked to the park to experience a culture of lawlessness, free from the harsh rules and draconian safety precautions of most theme parks? Today we’re going to explore the history of Action Park. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN...

Radical dude! On this week's episode we dive in to the world of crooked IPOs, the birth of retail investing, and explore the second most famous stock market crash in recent history. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: https://companiesmarketcap.com/cisco/stock-p...

What happens when you give 3,000 Magic the Gathering nerds billions in capital, a dream, and a poorly regulated options market? Crime. This episode is about Jane Street. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: Why Jane Street, a US trading giant, is in trouble in In...

Content warning: This episode contains a couple brief sections discussing sexual assault and rape, so listener discretion is advised. As you stand in the 100 degree heat, finishing the last sip of your $28 water bottle, covered in mud and suffering from trench foot, the music of Limp Bizkit echoes in the distance. "Am I in hell?" You ask yourself. No, you're at Woodstock '99. And the chaos is just...

In a world where hot dogs are harder to buy, and brands drown in the muck of online retail, a hero rises from the ashes to offer predatory unsecured loans through an app. That hero's name? Klarna. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: 1) https://www.expressen.se/e...

His grease stains menaced warehouse shelves from Brazil to Calcutta. He was elusive man, an oil man, whose mob ties were debated in hushed tones in New York country clubs. This is how Anthony "Tino" De Angelis swindled America to the brink of recession. Edited and thumbnail by Noah Sources: https://pastebin.com/ixvnrcSZ JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.pa...

Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault and racism. Do you ever feel already buried deep? Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing. Today we explore the strange and often controversial history of Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known as Katy Perry, and examine her legacy both on earth and beyond. Edited and thumbnail by Noah Sources: https://pastebin...

Genius economist and con artist, or genius economist con artist? The legacy of John Law is the invention of modern financial policy, for better and for worse. Join us as we go historical, to the birth of paper money itself. Edited and thumbnail by Noah Sources: https://pastebin.com/kpUKLZgU JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapit...

For decades, Silicon Valley has used pizza as a testing ground for new business models. Pizzerias were the first brick-and-mortar businesses to use Bitcoin. So why hasn't big tech captured the business of pizza-making itself? Well they tried, and this is the story of how they failed. Edited and thumbnail by Noah Sources: https://pastebin.com/XnK6BYG4 JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES,...

Last year, advertisements began appearing online for a strange Willy Wonka-inspired popup exhibit in Glasgow. They promised a magical experience for the whole family, full of whimsical sights, sounds, and treats. But what families got when they arrived was... not what they expected. Join us as we dive into the strange history of Willy's Chocolate Experience. Edited by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR E...

On this episode of DAOC, the gang goes back in time. Join us as we venture to the invention of speculation markets itself to explore one of history's first desperate acts of capitalism: The South Sea Bubble. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: Great Bubbles, Ros...

Sabotage. Intimidation. Disinformation and junk mail campaigns. These were the four horsemen of John H. Patterson, the mad king of Dayton, Ohio. As founder of the National Cash Register Company in 1884, he contributed little to the design of the world's first cash registers. As a marketer and ruthless monopolist, he revolutionized sales practices in the United States, building a sprawling empire t...

Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of abuse, injuries, and deaths. Disney theme parks are beloved by countless people around the world. But as Evan found out when he was a child, they contain a dark history of tragic, horrifying, and bizarre incidents within their walls. Today we'll explore that history, and discover an unsettling pattern that reveals how much Disney really values...

Starbucks has been struggling as of late. On this episode, we explore what could give one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world a run for its money. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: https://www.joc.com/article/starbucks-coffee-co-sold-5642744 http...

The social internet could have been Myspace. Modular, user-centered, infinitely customizable. Like so many sites on the early internet, it was more accident than design, ballooning to enormous size and popularity much faster than its scam artist founders could keep up with. Join us as we find out how Myspace failed its way into success, and finally into catastrophe. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JO...

Have you ever been watching a movie, and desperately wanted to SMELL the action? Like literally SMELL what was going on in the film? Well, turns out, Hollywood has tried to make that a reality several times. Today we'll examine the bizarre and complicated history of attempting to add scents to the silver screen. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONT...

Movies: Are they good or are they bad? It's impossible to say. But what about the folks who make 'em? Hollywood makes plenty of flops and failures, but on this episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism, we cover the golden age of Hollywood, and how it all came crashing down. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperate...

First they were weird. Then they were fun. Now, they are tired, played out, and full of catfish. In this episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism we wade into the sordid world of modern dating apps, exploring how one of the most defining elements of modern dating culture got so bad. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/...

In the mid to late 2000s, we gathered around our television sets to watch a heartwarming reality show where struggling families got their homes renovated into much nicer, bigger homes. A much nicer, bigger home couldn't possibly have any unintended consequences down the line, right? Right?? How did the lizards get into the duct tape room??? Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY...

The land of strikes and protests is at it again - that is, was at it again about 15 years ago. With the Recession in full swing, the French adopted an... original method to obtain better deals from their bosses: sequestration. How is this possible? What are the police even doing? Are the bosses being tortured?? Why are people selling razors to CEOs now??? All this and more from the author of this...

You've probably noticed it: flying on commercial airlines has gotten a lot worse. Covid didn't help, but if we're being honest it wasn't great before covid either. In fact, didn't flying used to be really fun back in the 60's and '70's? What happened to piano bars in planes, good food, and decent legroom? In this episode we will get into how airlines got so bad, and how what we see of the airline...

MoviePass is back, and it's better than ever. In our first SEQUEL episode, Evan gives us an update on what the ol' MoviePass company has been up to in the last 5 years. Edited and thumbnail by Noah JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism BIG THINGS ARE COMING Sources: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/moviepass-will-shut-down-...