The Great Fail

Latest Episodes:

Episode 30: Theranos: A Bloody Mess Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Theranos’ groundbreaking proprietary technology promised to revolutionize healthcare with just a drop of blood from a finger prick. The company, led by its founder Elizabeth Holmes, would raise over $900 million and become a darling in the tech community. That is until a Wall Street Journal exposé revealed a scandal that astounded and paralyzed the entire VC and medical world, unraveling the $9 billion organization. Justin Maxwell, a former employee and one of the lead designers speaks about what makes an organization toxic and why the corporate culture within Theranos was the precise environment that allowed for the cover-up of secrecy, paranoia, and deception.

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Episode 29: Borders' Final Chapter Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

When Borders was founded in 1971, it was one of the most pioneering companies in the book business quickly becoming one of the most dominant players in the space. For 40 years, it was known as one of the retail behemoths, but then came the digital age…Border’s last CEO Mike Edwards discusses what we all can learn about digital transformation, the evolution of businesses, and lessons from managing a Company on the brink of failure.

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Episode 28: McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook gets McFired Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant company, made a shocking announcement in late 2019 when it abruptly removed its CEO Steve Easterbrook.

What would be uncovered would include individual and class-action lawsuits alleging attempted rape, sexual harassment, and blurred lines spurred by the #MeToo movement that would rock the corporate world and dethrone what everyone thought was the golden boy of the golden arches.

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Episode 27: GameStop: The Big Short....Squeeze Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

In January 2021, the world watched as Reddit traders faced off with Wall Street elites in a trading mania over GameStop shares. Matei Psatta, one of the traders of subreddit WallStreetBets, joins us this week to comment on what this means and why the financial markets may never be the same.

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Episode 26: Hertz So Bad Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

Did the 2020 global pandemic kill off Hertz? The Company’s stock price which at one time went as high as $150/share, had fallen to as low as $0.40 cents/share after it declared bankruptcy in May of 2020. At first glance it seemed like the lockdown and impact on travel demand ultimately swallowed up this iconic 102 year-old brand. However, when you peel back the layers and study Hertz’s history, you’d discover that many people over the years were holding shovels and digging the Company’s grave. Check out this week’s Episode 26, Hertz So Bad.

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Episode 25: Wirecard's Fall From Grace Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

Despite a global pandemic unraveling in 2020, the executives of Europe’s largest fintech company Wirecard found themselves in precarious positions. The Company’s CEO, Markus Braun, was arrested for masterminding an intricate embezzlement scandal, a key executive was reported dead in the Philippines, and the COO became a wanted fugitive. Hear how the “Enron of Germany” went from being a national pride to a national shame on Episode 25 of The Great Fail.

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Episode 24: Milli Vanilli: A Sensational Flop Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

When Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus were first introduced to the world, they rose to fame instantly with their god-like bodies, model good looks and ability to rock the stage. Their first song Girl You Know It’s True came out in March of 1989, and altogether the band had 5 singles that entered the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, 3 of which went straight to number one. But no one would ever imagine that their legacy would end up in a tragedy. Check outEpisode 24 of The Great Fail.

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Episode 23: SkyMall’s Crash Landing Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

At its peak, SkyMall was a staple of airline travel with an annual circulation of approximately 20 million copies of its catalog found in the seat pockets of every major airline in the United States. Known for its whimsical and unique merchandise, it quickly won the hearts of many travelers and by 2009 had generated approximately $80.5 million in revenue, making it one of the largest e-commerce websites in the world. How did a fun, innovative company with a monopoly on its market become an internet after-thought by 2015? Find out on Episode 23 of The Great Fail.

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Episode 22: Quibi's Sunken Ship Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Quibi, a new streaming service focused on premium short form content, was launched in April 2020 during a worldwide pandemic. Between Co-founders Jeffrey Katzenberg, former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios and Meg Whitman, former CEO of HP, they had almost $2 billion in funding, the support of major Hollywood studios and tons of A-list celebrity clout. But even with all of that, Quibi was dead on arrival, folding just after six months. Get the dirt on Episode 22 of The Great Fail.

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Episode 21: Motorola’s Dead Zone Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

The rise and fall of the iconic Motorola was on so many levels, heart-wrenching. Once pioneers of all things radio, Motorola paved the way for set-top boxes, modems, DVRs, semiconductors and then after that, mobile phones. In 2004, the unveiling of their Razr created a media frenzy, selling more phones than any other mobile handsets at that time. So how was this remarkable, trailblazing brand condemned to a slow death that eventually bled decay across its entire organization? Listen to Episode 21 of The Great Fail to find out.

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