Podcast
Corporate Wars
Hosted by Tomislav Krevzelj | Business History · EN
Winner takes all.
Every major brand you know exists because they won a war. Corporate Wars explores the brutal battles, brilliant strategies, and fatal mistakes that defined the modern economy.
We don't just tell you what happened; we break down why it happened. Through immersive storytelling and deep research, we explore the psychology of founders and the cutthroat tactics used to crush the competition.
Whether you are an entrepreneur looking for strategy, or a history buff obsessed with the details, this show reveals the human cost of doing business.
Covering topics like: Industrial Espionage, Hostile Takeovers, Brand Rivalries, and Corporate Corruption.
New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe now.
9episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Ghost Girls
Apr 800:57:42Tap to summarizeOrange, New Jersey, 1917. The United States Radium Corporation opens a factory and hires hundreds of young women — some as young as fourteen — to paint luminous watch dials for the military. The pay is exceptional. The paint is radium. And their supervisors teach them to shape their brushes with their lips.Lip, dip, paint. Two hundred and fifty times a day.The company's own scientists use lead shields and metal tongs. The painters use their tongues. Within years, teeth are falling out. Jaws are crumbling. Women in their early twenties are dying of causes officially listed as syphilis. And when Harvard researchers confirm the truth — that radium has been migrating into the women's bones — the company president forges the report and submits a falsified version to the state.This is the story of Grace Fryer, Katherine Schaub, Amelia Maggia, and the dozens of women who came to be known as the Radium Girls. It's the story of a cover-up that stretched from factory floor to courtroom, of fake doctors and perjured executives, of a judge who adjourned a dying woman's case so the company's expert witnesses could summer in Europe. And it's the story of how five women — none of whom could raise their arms to take the oath — took on one of the most connected corporations in America, and built the legal foundation that would eventually give rise to OSHA.Their bones are still radioactive. They will be for another 1,600 years.Told in the style of Hardcore History — immersive, narrative, without mercy.⚠️ Content note: This episode contains detailed descriptions of illness, physical deterioration, and death.—Corporate Wars is written and narrated by Tomislav Krevzelj. New episodes drop weekly. Website: corporatewarspod.com
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The Fifty Million Dollar Laugh | Netflix vs. Blockbuster
Apr 100:47:06Tap to summarizeDallas, Texas. September 2000. Three men from California walk into the headquarters of a six-billion-dollar empire and ask for fifty million. The CEO of Blockbuster Video struggles not to laugh.That meeting—and that laugh—would become the most expensive joke in the history of American business.In this episode of Corporate Wars, we trace the full arc of Netflix vs. Blockbuster: from David Cook’s first video store in 1985, to Wayne Huizenga’s acquisition spree, to the fateful September 2000 meeting in Dallas where Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph offered to sell Netflix for $50 million. We dig into Blockbuster’s doomed 20-year deal with Enron, the brief and brilliant Total Access comeback that nearly crushed Netflix, the Carl Icahn boardroom coup that killed it, and the slow collapse that left one single Blockbuster standing in Bend, Oregon.This is a story about hubris, addiction to bad revenue, and the razor-thin line between being right about the market and catastrophically wrong about the future.🔗 Sources & Further Reading:• “That Will Never Work” by Marc Randolph (2019)• “No Rules Rules” by Reed Hastings & Erin Meyer• John Antioco’s LinkedIn rebuttal (December 2021)• “Netflixed” by Gina Keating• “The Last Blockbuster” documentary🎧 Next Episode: The Radium Girls — The Horrifying Negligence of the US Radium Corporation, and the Women Who Fought Back📧 corporatewarspod.com
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The Golden Heist: How Ray Kroc Stole McDonald's
Mar 2500:45:31Tap to summarizeRay Kroc didn't invent the hamburger. He didn't invent fast food. But he did pull off one of the most ruthless corporate takeovers in American history.In 1954, Dick and Mac McDonald had a wildly successful, hyper-efficient burger stand in San Bernardino. They were making a fortune and living comfortably. Then a struggling 52-year-old milkshake machine salesman named Ray Kroc walked into their parking lot. Within seven years, Kroc would own their system, their trademark, and their name—leaving the brothers legally barred from calling their own restaurant "McDonald's."In this episode of Corporate Wars:The tennis court experiment that changed how the world eats.Why McDonald's isn't actually in the food business (and the financial architect who figured it out).The $2.7 million buyout and the legendary, contested "handshake agreement."How Ray Kroc deliberately erased the McDonald brothers from their own history.Support the Show: If you enjoyed this breakdown, hit subscribe and leave a review. It’s the best way to help the podcast grow.Visit us at corporatewarspod.com
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The Cola Wars: The $100 Billion Blunder
Mar 1800:46:07Tap to summarizeApril 23, 1985. The CEO of Coca-Cola steps up to a podium in New York City and commits the most spectacular marketing blunder of the 20th century: He changes a 99-year-old formula.Across town, Pepsi CEO Roger Enrico gives his employees the day off, popping champagne because he believes Coke has finally surrendered. He was dead wrong.In this episode of Corporate Wars, we tear down the century-long blood feud for America’s throat. This isn’t just a story about soda. It’s a masterclass in market share, addiction, and corporate hubris.You will learn:How two pharmacists built global monopolies from a soda fountain—and died with nothing.The brutal psychological warfare of the blind "Pepsi Challenge."Why Pepsi spent $5 million to set Michael Jackson’s hair on fire.The sheer absurdity of the Arnell Group’s $1 million, 27-page design document that justified Pepsi's 2008 logo using the "gravitational pull of the Earth."Coke won the war of memory. Pepsi won the battle of cool. Listen to find out how the 79-day "New Coke" panic accidentally proved everything right.
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The Current Wars: How Tesla's Tech Got Edison Fired
Mar 1100:40:38Tap to summarizeThomas Edison is remembered as a genius inventor. But in the boardroom, his stubbornness turned him into a massive liability to his own cap table. In 1892, his ego—and his refusal to acknowledge Nikola Tesla's superior alternating current—cost his company the biggest enterprise contract of the century. And his lead investor, J.P. Morgan, made him pay the ultimate price.In this episode of Corporate Wars, we tear down the actual business mechanics of the "Current Wars." This wasn't just a polite debate over scientific principles; it was a ruthless, high-stakes battle for the future of the global power grid.We break down how George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla used superior Alternating Current (AC) technology to massively underbid Edison for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair lighting contract. Then, we take you inside the boardroom on April 15, 1892, when J.P. Morgan realized his visionary founder was bleeding revenue and engineered a secret, hostile merger behind Edison's back.What you’ll learn in this episode:The Ultimate RFP: How the bidding war for the Chicago World's Fair functioned as a winner-take-all pipeline deal.The PR Smear Campaign: Edison’s desperate, gruesome marketing tactics to brand AC power as a deadly public threat.The Innovator's Dilemma: Why Edison's refusal to pivot away from Direct Current (DC) destroyed his competitive moat against Tesla.The Boardroom Coup: How J.P. Morgan stripped Edison's name from his own company to forge the modern monopoly of General Electric.If you want the real blueprints behind how corporate empires are built (and stolen), hit subscribe and leave us a review.🌐 Dive deeper into the archives and view the episode transcripts at corporatewarspod.com
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Nintendo vs. Sega: The 16-Bit Battle for the Living Room
Mar 400:30:21Tap to summarizeIn the early 90s, Nintendo held an iron-fisted 90% monopoly on the video game market. Then, a scrappy underdog named Sega decided to pick a fight. This wasn't just a battle of tech; it was one of the most ruthless marketing and positioning wars in corporate history.In this episode of Corporate Wars, we break down how Sega weaponized aggressive, comparative advertising ("Genesis does what Nintendon't") to steal market share from a seemingly untouchable giant. We look past the nostalgia to dissect the actual business mechanics, sales strategies, and leadership decisions that turned the living room into a multi-billion-dollar battleground.What you’ll learn in this episode:The Challenger Sale: How Sega positioned itself as the "edgy" alternative to Nintendo's family-friendly dominance.Supply Chain & Pricing: The risky hardware bets and price cuts that fueled the 16-bit era.The Sonic Strategy: Why creating a mascot specifically engineered to counter Mario was a masterclass in product marketing.The Fallout: Who really won, and how this corporate war laid the groundwork for modern gaming.If you want to understand the ruthless tactics behind the brands you love, hit subscribe and leave us a review.🌐 Dive deeper into the archives at corporatewarspod.com
Transcribe →United Fruit Company vs. Guatemala
Feb 2500:53:11Tap to summarizeThey tell you that business is a game of numbers. They are lying.In 1954, a dispute over uncultivated farmland escalated into a corporate-sponsored coup d'état. The United Fruit Company, facing the loss of its tax-free monopoly in Guatemala, convinced the Eisenhower administration that a few million dollars in banana profits were a matter of national security.This is the true story of how a corporation bought a country, and the terrifying psychological warfare campaign that destroyed a decade of democracy.In this episode, we break down:The Banana Republic: How "Sam the Banana Man" Zemurray established the precedent for corporate sovereign impunity.The 10-Year Spring: Why Jacobo Árbenz’s moderate capitalist reforms triggered a Wall Street panic.The Interlocking Directorate: The blatant conflicts of interest between the Dulles brothers, the CIA, and United Fruit.The PR Machine: How Edward Bernays, the "Father of Public Relations," tricked the New York Times and the American public.Operation PBSUCCESS: The CIA's fake radio broadcasts, mercenary pilots, and chilling "disposal lists."Support the Show: If you enjoyed this deep dive into the dark side of capitalism, please follow us on your favorite podcast app and leave a review.Follow the War: 📱 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @CorporateWarsPod
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Ferrari vs. Lamborghini: The King and the Peasant
Feb 1800:25:04Tap to summarize"I will show you how to make a sports car."In the 1960s, Enzo Ferrari was the untouchable King of Modena. He built race cars for gods and sold road cars to fund them. But he made one fatal mistake: he insulted the wrong customer.Ferruccio Lamborghini was a "peasant" tractor mechanic with dirt under his fingernails and a bank account full of new money. When his Ferrari's clutch kept burning out, he didn't just complain—he tore the car apart and discovered a secret that Ferrari was desperate to hide.In this episode, we break down:The 10 Lira Insult: The cheap tractor part that Ferrari was selling for $500.The Confrontation: The exact words Enzo used to dismiss Lamborghini (and why he regretted them).The Palace Revolt: How a family feud at Ferrari handed Lamborghini the "Dream Team" of engineers.The Brick Engine: The hilarious way Lamborghini faked their first prototype at the Turin Auto Show.Featured in this episode:The Car: The Ferrari 250 GT vs. The Lamborghini 350 GT.The Tech: Single Overhead Cams vs. Dual Overhead Cams (and why it mattered).The People: Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio Lamborghini, and Giotto Bizzarrini.Sources & Further Reading:Valentino Balboni: The Best Job in the WorldFerruccio Lamborghini: La storia ufficialeSupport the Show: If you enjoyed this deep dive into business history, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us prove that business isn't boring—it's war.
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Corporate Wars Season 1 Trailer
Feb 1100:01:30Tap to summarizeThey say business is just a game of numbers. They are lying.Corporate Wars pulls back the curtain on the most ruthless rivalries in history. From the CIA coup that saved a fruit company to the spite that birthed the supercar, we uncover the betrayal, espionage, and massive egos that built the modern world.Coming up in Season 1:Lamborghini vs. Ferrari: The insult that changed history.United Fruit vs. Guatemala: When a corporation hires the CIA.Netflix vs. Blockbuster: The $50 million mistake.Hosted by Tom KrevzelSubscribe now to hear the stories business schools are afraid to teach.
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