Spectacular Failures

Introducing: Ripple Jan 29, 2024

We have a special episode for you today. We’re sharing an episode of the new podcast from APM Studios and Western Sound called “Ripple.”

The largest oil spill in American history captivated the public’s attention for the entire summer of 2010. Authorities told a story of a herculean response effort that made shorelines safe and avoided a worst case scenario. Was that really the whole picture?

“Ripple” is a new series investigating the stories we were told were over.

In Season One, the reporting team traveled hundreds of miles across the Gulf Coast to learn the ongoing effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill — which are still impacting many coastal residents more than a decade later. Here is episode 1! And if you’d like to hear more episodes, you can find “Ripple” wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to This: The Loudest Girl in the World Sep 12, 2022

The Loudest Girl in the World is a new podcast from that tells the story of Lauren Ober's journey to understand what the hell it means to be on the autism spectrum and how to live life as a newly diagnosed autistic person. It's about finding yourself broken in a place you never expected to be and emerging from that place a mostly glued back together person. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to This: What's Your Problem? Mar 25, 2022

You may know Jacob Goldstein as the former host of the Planet Money podcast. Now, he’s combining his expertise about the money and business worlds with his passion for technology on a brand new show called What’s Your Problem? from Pushkin Industries.
What’s Your Problem? is a show about people who are facing some of the biggest challenges in modern business – and the problems they have to solve along the way. Find What's Your Problem? and listen to more engaging conversations wherever you get your podcasts.

Sqirl finds itself in a jam Oct 05, 2020

The Los Angeles restaurant Sqirl had lines down the block for brunches that featured its famous house-made jams on toast. But then a photo of discarded mold scraped from the jam, snapped by someone in the Sqirl kitchen, blew up the internet...and led to a reputation crisis Sqirl is still dealing with.

Our sponsors this week:

Bombas - Bombas.com/spectacular

Ourcrowd - Ourcrowd.com/spectacular

Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

NYC Taxi Medallions' steep fare Sep 28, 2020

Even before Uber and Lyft pulled into town, NYC yellow cabs were having a rough ride. Reckless lending practices and inflated taxi medallion prices racked up profits for the city and debt for drivers. Then, the bubble did what bubbles do.

Our sponsors this week:

Policy Genius - policygenius.com

Betterhelp - betterhelp.com/spectacular

Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

Subprime times at Countrywide Financial Sep 21, 2020

Before the housing bubble burst, Countrywide Financial was one of the nation’s largest home mortgage lenders. But after years of predatory lending practices, the predator went extinct.

Our sponsors this week:

Indeed - Indeed.com/spectacular

Policy Genius - Policygenius.com

Our Crowd - ourcrowd.com/spectacular

Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

Pan Am hits major turbulence Sep 14, 2020

Pan Am made air travel cool—from chic crew uniforms to exotic locations to square-jawed flyboy pilots. But a couple of bad business deals, massive deregulation, and a devastating terrorist attack sunset the airline for good.
Our sponsors this week:

Betterhelp: betterhelp.com/spectacular
The Great Courses Plus: thegreatcoursesplus.com/spectacular

Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

A dairy giant gets milked Sep 07, 2020

Got milk? These days, chances are maybe not. Americans have been saying no thanks for years now, and changing consumer tastes have been bad news for what used to be the nation’s largest milk processor, Dean Foods.

Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

OUR SPONSORS THIS WEEK

The Great Courses Plus: thegreatcoursesplus.com/spectacular

NetSuite: NetSuite.com/spectacular

BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/spectacular

Napster fought the law and the law won Aug 31, 2020

The recording industry, Metallica, and ultimately federal court put the brakes on Napster’s music file sharing. But before exiting the stage, Napster changed the way we listen to music—and how much we’re willing to pay for it.

[Editor’s note - Sept. 1, 2020: This episode has been updated to reflect that “CyberTalk” was a group effort overseen by Jeff Gold. An earlier version characterized it as his solo effort.]

Our sponsors this week:
Bombas: bombas.com/spectacular
Policy Genius: policygenius.com
NetSuite: netsuite.com/spectacular
Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

The toxic tale of the Love Canal fail Aug 24, 2020

When Hooker Chemical sold its infamous toxic waste landfill to the Niagara Falls School Board, the $1 deal left Niagara residents seriously ill. But few believed the company could truly be at fault...until it was too late.

Our sponsors this week:
NetSuite: netsuite.com/spectacular
Betterhelp: betterhelp.com/spectacular
Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

The curtain falls on a big Broadway company Aug 17, 2020

Livent was a showstopper of an operation. But eventually, forgery and fraud stole the scene, the money exited stage left, and the lead actor landed behind bars.
Our sponsors this week:
Indeed: indeed.com/spectacular
NetSuite: netsuite.com/spectacular
The Great Courses Plus: thegreatcoursesplus.com/spectacular
Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

Forever 21 goes from rags to riches to bankruptcy court Aug 10, 2020

The mom-and-pop fast-fashion retailer exploded into malls across the globe. But eventually, Forever 21 unraveled like the hem on a cheap crop top.
Our sponsors this week:
Fiverr: fiverr.com promo code SPECTACULAR
NetSuite: NetSuite.com/SPECTACULAR
The Great Courses Plus: thegreatcoursesplus.com/spectacular
Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.

Blue Apron wilts, then rises to a new challenge Aug 03, 2020

The meal kit delivery service was almost belly-up before the pandemic hit. But then people stuck cooking at home gave the brand a lifeline. Investors found it tastier than ever, but will customers still hanker for the big blue box once this is all over?
Our sponsors this week: Betterhelp: betterhelp.com/spectacular code spectacular
NetSuite: netsuite.com/spectacular
Policygenius:policygenius.com
Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.
Read the transcript of the episode at spectacularfailures.org.
You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter at @failureshow and like us at Facebook.com/failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.
Spectacular Failures is powered by you. Support the show with a donation at spectacularfailures.org/donate.

Spectacular Failures - Season Two Jul 20, 2020

Spectacular Failures is back for season two, starting August 3rd! 2020 has been a year of fail. Global pandemic, check. Economic meltdown, check. Political unrest, check. Busted businesses and collapsed corporations are having a moment, and who better to tackle those tales than Lauren Ober and Spectacular Failures?
Sign up to receive our brand new newsletter, featuring weekly recommendations from Lauren and the rest of the team at spectacularfailures.org/newsletter.

Read the transcript of the trailer at spectacularfailures.org.

Trump's big gamble on Atlantic City Aug 19, 2019

By the time the final dice were thrown, Trump's Atlantic City casino operations had gone bankrupt six times. Despite that, Trump won the long game.

You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow. We're @failure_show on Instagram. Follow Lauren Ober on Twitter and Instagram at @oberandout.