Price Wars: The Fall of Dollar Stores | Billionaire Tug of War | 1
2 April 2025 - 39 minsWe’re exploring how dollar stores went from Wall Street darlings to the problem children of the stock market. But first, we track how a re-energized Dollar General figures out how to make billions from small change, and its nearest-rival Family Dollar becomes a takeover target. But can Dollar General’s CEO steer the family business into the right hands?
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Series Episodes
Roomba: Hitting the Wall | The New Space Race | 3
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 company this year, it looked like another win for Chinese tech. Christopher Mims is a tech reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He’s the author of “Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door – Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.” He joins David to discuss robots, AI and what he calls “the new space race.”Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
36 mins
17 September Finished
Roomba: Hitting the Wall | The Moat | 2
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 lawsuits and a bet on premium pricing. But the competition keeps finding ways around him, and as a pandemic-fueled sales boom fades, iRobot’s finances start to crumble. Can a lifeline from Amazon pull the Roomba to safety or is the pioneer of home robots, about to get sucked up by the competition? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
47 mins
16 September Finished
Roomba: Hitting the Wall | Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control | 1
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 that idea into a company called iRobot. The company chases government contracts and builds robotic dolls. But in 2002, iRobot breaks through with the Roomba — a vacuuming robot. The Roomba bumps into chair legs, takes cats for joyrides, and propels iRobot to a blockbuster IPO. But the Roomba is headed for trouble. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
47 mins
9 September Finished
The Sweetener Wars | Sweet Goes Sour | 2
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 Sweet’N Low's coffers.If you’d like to hear more about the artificial sweetener business, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Empty Pleasures” by Carolyn de la Peña right now on Audible.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
43 mins
2 September Finished
The Sweetener Wars | Attack of the Cancer Rats | 1
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 Rumsfeld to pull it back from the brink.If you’d like to hear more about the artificial sweetener business, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Empty Pleasures” by Carolyn de la Peña right now on Audible.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
46 mins
26 August Finished
Listen Now: Audible True Crime
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, scams and mysteries. This is the cream of the crop of Audible podcasts, featuring award-winning series and soon-to-be favorites. Stop pestering your friends or searching “best true crime podcast” on Google. Up first, Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment: A search for spiritual guidance leads a group of strangers to seek direction from a self-help guru. And not just any guru. James Arthur Ray is an Oprah endorsed motivational speaker and entrepreneur whose unorthodox methods that blend self-improvement and economic advice have won him praise and a growing following. He’s fast becoming a self-help superstar. But Ray’s increasingly extreme methods push his followers to their limits. What are they seeking? What does he offer? And what happens when it all goes too far, and people die? Listen to Audible True Crime wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes on Audible True Crime early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible App or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Listen now: link.pscrb.fm/6438e/fdaudibletruecrimeron-93b44 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
6 mins
24 August Finished
