Business Wars

For years, Buffalo Wild Wings was the undisputed king of chicken wings. But for the past decade, Wingstop has owned that crown with its takeout friendly spin on everyone’s favorite tangy, spicy party food. Food industry reporter Sam Oches is editor-in-chief of Nation’s Restaurant News, and host of the podcast Take-Away with Sam Oches. He joins David to take a bite out of this rivalry with a certified Business Wars taste test. Plus, he’ll share whether a recent uptick in in-person dining and an impending IPO can help Buffalo Wild Wings claw back market share from its biggest competitor.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.

After years of turning profits, in 2015 Buffalo Wild Wings sees signs of trouble.  Younger generations are  take-out over dine-in, and for the first time since going public, Buffalo Wild Wings starts to miss Wall Street expectations. And Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith finds herself in the cross hairs of a hostile takeover attempt. As Smith leads her restaurant through the proxy battle, Wingstop continues to thrive, making a play to become the biggest wings restaurant in the country.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.

Audible True Crime is a dedicated podcast feed where we bring you the best podcasts in true crime, with episodes dropping every single week. Just in time for spooky season, we’re releasing a show called Ghost Story, a series about a hidden family secret, unexplainable events and jaw-dropping coincidences. Tristan Redman doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom. And when he discovers later that occupants of his family home have seen the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s intrigued. Because it just so happens that his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered in the house next door…killed by two gunshots to the face. 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: HERE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s the early 1980s, and a pair of brothers open a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio serving Buffalo wings. They see an opportunity to bring the spicy, tangy wings to diners around the country. The brothers are ambitious and Buffalo Wild Wings expands rapidly. A decade later, a couple in Texas gets a similar idea;  launching Wingstop in a suburb of Dallas.  But while Buffalo Wild Wings is focused on the full dining experience, Wingstop concentrates almost entirely on the wing itself.  And soon, the stage is set for the two restaurants to battle it out to be America’s King of Wings.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.

It’s May 2018, and the U.S. Supreme Court just struck down a law that banned most sports betting nationwide. The gold rush is on to capture a newly wide-open market of online gamblers. FanDuel and DraftKings shift seamlessly from daily fantasy companies to online sportsbooks, partnering with top athletes and pro sports leagues. But their methods for keeping customers hooked will shock the conscience, and threaten the very fan base that earned them billions.If you’d like to learn more about the FanDuel - DraftKings rivalry, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Billion Dollar Fantasy,” by Albert Chen right now on Audible.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Malloy was a baby when her mother, Lori, was murdered in East Providence, Rhode Island. For thirty years, no one told her. Everyone said Lori died of natural causes. Then a stranger sent Lauren a message — and the lie collapsed. Now Lauren is investigating her own mother’s murder. She’s recorded hundreds of hours of interviews with law enforcement, family, childhood friends, and people who won’t stop contradicting each other. Every answer opens a darker question. Every person she trusts seems to be hiding something. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes the people she trusts may be the ones with the most to hide. A 10-part true crime investigation hosted by the victim’s daughter. Lauren’s mission: to finally uncover the identity of Lori’s killer. Audible subscribers can binge all 10 episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible App or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Listen now: HERE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv

It’s 2009, and most online betting is illegal in the U.S. Then tech founder Nigel Eccles finds a nifty loophole around fantasy sports, and FanDuel is born. The new ‘daily fantasy sports’ app allows users to play in short-term contests with quick payouts… almost like gambling by another name. But soon, a competitor emerges: DraftKings. The rivalry builds to a fever pitch, with battling ads running on national TV every 90 seconds. And that’s when the trouble really starts…If you’d like to learn more about the FanDuel - DraftKings rivalry, you can listen to the audiobook version of “Billion Dollar Fantasy,” by Albert Chen right now on Audible.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When Warby Parker debuted in 2010, the brand disrupted not just how much eyeglasses cost, but also how customers purchased them. Its direct-to-consumer e-commerce business model left many wondering whether Luxottica’s longstanding reign over the industry would soon be over. In the decade-and-a-half since, the answer to that question is still evolving. Max Chafkin profiled Warby Parker in its early days for Fast Company, and is currently a senior reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek. He joins David to discuss Warby Parker’s staying power, the company’s embrace of brick-and-mortar retail, and the current state of e-commerce.Check out Max’s Bloomberg podcast Everybody’s Business.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.

Warby Parker is three weeks old and its online glasses store is proving so popular the brand’s in danger of burning out. But if it’s going to pose a real challenge to Luxottica, it needs to learn how to sustain that momentum.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.

After a childhood of hard knocks, Italian entrepreneur Leonardo Del Vecchio sets out to build an eyewear empire by swallowing brands like Ray-Ban, Sunglass Hut, Lenscrafters, and Oakley. But as his wealth and power grows, four MBA students in Philadelphia ask if there’s room for an alternative.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.

After a successful IPO in 2014, GoPro founder and CEO Nick Woodman hopes to lead the company into its next act. In his vision, GoPro won’t just be a camera maker anymore; they’ll be a full-scale media empire. Woodman hires a Hollywood executive to lead the charge and staffs the new division with 100 people. But changing a company’s mission is a slow process, and in the meantime GoPro has one disastrous product launch after another. And within just a couple of years, GoPro is struggling to survive. 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.

In 2002, while on a surf trip to Bali, 26-year-old Nick Woodman has an idea for a camera mount that would allow him and his friends to capture action shots of themselves in the water. At the time, only professional surfers who hired photographers had these types of images. Woodman spends years developing and trying to sell his product. In 2007, the GoPro takes off, in large part due to customers posting on a new website called YouTube. For years, GoPro soars, but Apple is close on its heels, releasing iPhones with better and better cameras. To keep GoPro relevant, Woodman makes a massive and risky pivot.  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.

For decades, Disney was the undisputed champion of theme parks. But Universal Studios had its big breakthrough when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2010. And it’s been gaining ground on Disney ever since. Today, journalist Drew Taylor takes David on a ride through this heated theme park rivalry. Drew covers film, animation and theme parks for The Wrap. They’ll dive into Universal’s new Epic Universe expansion in Orlando, the inner workings of park hopping and lightning lanes, and why the key to this battle is all about who controls the IP.Check out Drew’s podcast: Fine Tooning with Drew TaylorAudible 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.

With Harry Potter on its team, Universal hopes to cast a spell on millions of vacationers. Meanwhile, Disney’s new boss Bob Iger is about to strike back with Star Wars. But who will win this clash between Jedi and wizard?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a bumpy opening, Universal Studios Florida is looking for a way to get out of Disney World’s shadow. But if Jaws, King Kong and Back to the Future won’t do it, what will?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.