Spectacular Failures

Introducing: Ripple

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 America

Listen to This: The Loudest Girl in the World

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 h

Listen to This: What's Your Problem?

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 te

Sqirl finds itself in a jam

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

NYC Taxi Medallions' steep fare

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

Subprime times at Countrywide Financial

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

Pan Am hits major turbulence

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 dev

A dairy giant gets milked

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 n

Napster fought the law and the law won

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 l

The toxic tale of the Love Canal fail

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 comp

The curtain falls on a big Broadway company

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 spon

Forever 21 goes from rags to riches to bankruptcy court

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

Blue Apron wilts, then rises to a new challenge

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 tha

Spectacular Failures - Season Two

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.

Trump's big gamble on Atlantic City

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 Specta

Toys R Us goes bust

No amount of nostalgia could save Toys R Us from the private equity firms that owned it. You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and Facebook using @failureshow.

Lincoln Savings loses it all

Charles Keating robbed working people of their life savings and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. All under the watch of powerful politicians. You can follow Spectacul

The inferno that transformed American labor

The aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire helped usher in higher wages, safer conditions and a prohibition on child labor. But the problems that led to the fi

Family fighting sends U-Haul on a detour

Failed therapy sessions, fistfights in the board room and even murder accusations. U-Haul’s trip to bankruptcy will make you think twice about mixing business and family.

Kodak misses its moment

The world's largest photography company pioneers the snapshot, invents the digital camera and... declares bankruptcy. You can follow Spectacular Failures on Twitter and