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Business Wars

The Rise and Fall of Peloton | Maximum Effort | 2

Business Wars

Wondery

History, Business, David Brown, Management

4.613.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the Covid-19 pandemic rages, Peloton’s stock surges and the company scrambles to keep up with the new demand for its products. They pour millions of dollars into increasing production and cutting down on shipping time. But when tragedy strikes, Peloton’s newfound popularity takes a hit. And soon, it's an open question if the company can survive on its own.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's summer 2020 in New York City.

0:11.7

A Peloton employee types a new set of numbers into a spreadsheet, then size, frustrated.

0:18.5

He's been tasked with trying to improve Peloton's so-called final mile of delivery,

0:23.6

in other words, getting Peloton's equipment from their distribution hubs to the customer's house.

0:29.6

This is always the most logistically complicated and expensive part of shipping products.

0:35.5

There's no way to make it efficient since each individual piece of

0:39.4

equipment has to go to a different home. But it's even worse during a worldwide pandemic when there's

0:45.2

a shortage of drivers. Although the pandemic has wrought tragedy, it's been a boon for Peloton.

0:52.3

As gyms around the world closed, customers flock to Peloton to buy their

0:56.5

internet-connected stationary bikes and treadmills. Peloton had unwittingly developed the perfect product for

1:03.3

a quarantining public, a platform that allows people to remain isolated but still have a communal

1:09.8

workout experience.

1:11.8

And the numbers speak volumes.

1:14.7

Peloton sales increased by over 170% in the first six months of the pandemic.

1:21.4

But that increase in sales has been a double-edged sword.

1:25.4

There's been so much demand.

1:29.3

Peloton's been struggling to fulfill orders, frustrating customers. CEO John Foley and other executives are desperate to get their

1:36.0

equipment into buyers' hands. Foley has tasked this employee with improving final mile delivery

1:42.4

times, but the only solutions the employee has come up with involve spending twice as much as usual.

1:49.1

And he's not sure how Foley's going to react.

1:55.8

A calendar reminder pops up on his monitor.

1:59.0

The employee clicks the link.

...

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