Business Wars

Business Wars

Author: Audible Language: English Episodes: 50
Behind every product you use and every brand you recognize, there's a hidden history of rivalry and strategic gambles. Business Wars, from Audible, pulls back the curtain on these epic corporate clashes that quietly define our daily lives. It’s not just about quarterly earnings; it’s a deep narrative exploration where ambition, innovation, and sometimes sheer ego collide. Hosted by David Brown, whose experience as a former Marketplace anchor brings a seasoned clarity to complex stories, each series within this podcast dissects a famous business feud. You’ll hear the tense boardroom decisions, the disruptive marketing campaigns, and the personal rivalries that pushed companies like Nike and Adidas or Netflix and HBO to the brink. The storytelling goes beyond the official press releases to uncover the unauthorized maneuvers and human dramas that led to monumental triumphs or stunning downfalls. By weaving together elements of history, management theory, and pure suspense, this series reveals how these battles for your wallet and attention ultimately shape the cultural and commercial landscape we all navigate. Tune in for a compelling chronicle of what it really takes to win, or lose, in the high-stakes arena of modern business.
Episodes
Roomba: Hitting the Wall | The New Space Race | 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:05
Recent visitors to China’s tech zone in Shenzhen have come away in awe of the country’s manufacturing capabilities, including its increasingly advanced humanoid robots. And when iRobot’s Chinese supplier took over the co…
Roomba: Hitting the Wall | The Moat | 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:53
It’s 2017 and the Roomba rules the robotic vacuum market. But cheaper competitors from China, some of whom offer more features for less money, start eating away at its lead. iRobot’s CEO Colin Angle fights back with laws…
Roomba: Hitting the Wall | Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control | 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:55
It’s 1984 and MIT professor Rodney Brooks has a radical idea: robots don't need complicated brains to navigate the world — they just need simple rules. Brooks and two of his students, Colin Angle and Helen Greiner, turn…
The Sweetener Wars | Sweet Goes Sour | 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:54
After years on top, Sweet’N Low is sinking fast. Newer artificial sweeteners aspartame and sucralose are spawning fresh competition. But the problems go even deeper – because within its own ranks, fraudsters are draining…
The Sweetener Wars | Attack of the Cancer Rats | 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:12
The promise seemed miraculous. Sweetness minus the calories. But when studies begin to link artificial sweeteners with cancer, the entire industry faces oblivion. And it'll take some lightning-fast pivots and Donald Rums…
Listen Now: Audible True Crime [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:03
Introducing Audible True Crime, a dedicated podcast feed where we bring you the best podcasts in true crime, with episodes dropping every single week. Find your next bingeable series about unsolved murders, cold cases, s…
Warby Parker vs Luxottica | A Modern Lens | 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:28
When Warby Parker debuted in 2010, the brand disrupted not just how much eyeglasses cost, but also how customers purchased them. Its direct-to-consumer e-commerce business model left many wondering whether Luxottica’s lo…
Warby Parker vs Luxottica | Getting Vertical | 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:22
Warby Parker is three weeks old and its online glasses store is proving so popular the brand’s in danger of burning out. But if it’s going to pose a real challenge to Luxottica, it needs to learn how to sustain that mome…
Warby Parker vs Luxottica | The Empire of Eyes | 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:06
After a childhood of hard knocks, Italian entrepreneur Leonardo Del Vecchio sets out to build an eyewear empire by swallowing brands like Ray-Ban, Sunglass Hut, Lenscrafters, and Oakley. But as his wealth and power grows…
GoPro: The Billion Dollar Wipeout | Crash Landing | 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:35
After a successful IPO in 2014, GoPro founder and CEO Nick Woodman hopes to lead the company into its next act. In his vision, GoPro won’t just be a camera maker anymore; they’ll be a full-scale media empire. Woodman hir…