Corporate Gossip

Thank you for listening to another season of the podcast! We'll be back in February with new episodes. Got suggestions / thoughts / feedback? Email becca@nitetoast.com For bonus episodes, book club, and the aftershow, join us on Patreon Advertise with us Watch on YouTube Trigger warning: suicide, drug use, overdose  Tony Hsieh had a life other entrepreneurs dreamed of. He was the wealthy CEO of a wildly successful ecommerce company with a legion of devoted customers and employees, currently on a bus tour to spread the gospel of his unique management style. But under the surface, cracks were starting to show, and Tony was falling into a severe drug and alcohol addiction. Years after his death that bus tour was a clear turning point in Tony's story, but for those around him at the time, it was just Tony being Tony. They had no clue how much darker things could get.  See pictures from today's episode on Substack Thank you to our episode sponsors:  New York Interventionist Goodword Email our good news correspondant with tips: elizabethliu526@gmail.com Timestamps:  2:00 - Intro / show notes  6:00 - Zappos / Tony Hshei story  1:20:00 - Good News & Adam breaks a chair Links:  Wonderboy (Book) Internal Memo: Zappos is offering severance to employees who aren't all in with Holacracy How Tony Hsieh Tried to Single-Handedly Transform Downtown Las Vegas The Rise and Fall of the Management Visionary Behind Zappos The Death of Zappos's Tony Hsieh: A Spiral of Alcohol, Drugs and Extreme Behavior Amazon Changes at Zappos Slowly Dismantle Tony Hsieh's Legacy 'Money's a powerful motivator,' Friends, documents detail Las Vegas entrepreneur Tony Hsieh's final months alive Spinato's Employees Get a "Slice of the Pie" as Spinato Family Transitions 49% of Company Ownership to Eligible Employees Iconic Cincinnati company Graeter's to become partially employee-owned

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2025

Listen to the full episode on Patreon. Join today at the Murdoch's Mates level and get FOUR bonus epiosdes every month plus the Corporate Gossip Book Club and group chat!  On Monday morning thousands of travelers were locked out of their Sonder hotel rooms and told: Sorry! Our business isn't businessing anymore :) Executives at both Marriott and Sonder turned their phones on Do Not Disturb as frazzled front line employees tried to manage fuming customers. At first glance, this just seems like a mismanaged PR crisis, but there's SO much more to the story: A bay area unicorn led by a Forbes 30 under 30 wunderkind, co-opted by VC maniacs speeding down the the 2021 SPAC super highway, bailing right before the crash and leaving unwitting investors holding the bag. INTO THE CORPORATE DUMPSTER!!! Links: Hospitality Startup Sonder Raises $170 Million At A $1.3 Billion Valuation During Covid-19 Travel Collapse Gores SPAC's High Redemptions Signal Worsening Sector Sentiment Sonder faces class action investigation after delaying financial results due to errors in past statements Sonder Seeks Room in Post-Covid-19 Lodging San Francisco property-tech company, once worth $1.9B, suddenly goes belly-up Dear Sonder Guest, Your Hotel Is Closed

Transcribed - Published: 15 November 2025

This is an updated and unlocked version of an episode that was earlier published exclusively on Patreon. Join now and enjoy FOUR extra episodes a month for as little as $5!  Ty Haney is back at Outdoor voices, the cult athleisure brand she founded. Can she successfully suck us all into her time machine back to 2014? Or will this company's death rattle be loud enough to convince the brand's private equity investors to put OV out of its misery.  Today, Adam and Becca try to figure out how the once beloved brand got so weird and shitty and how Ty Haney fell off the top of the Abby Lee Miller girl boss pyramid.  All pics can be found on Substack Watch on Youtube  Email our good news correspondant with tips: elizabethliu526@gmail.com Advertise on the Corporate Gossip Podcast Links:  Outdoor Voices Became A Staple For Millennial Cool Girls Thanks To Its Chill Aesthetic. Employees Say They Were Drowning. Outdoor Voices Founder Ty Haney Has Moved On. Mostly. Three years after her dramatic exit as CEO, she still has some things she'd like to say. How Outdoor Voices, a Start-Up Darling, Imploded Ty Haney is Elon Musk's Reply Guy Outdoor Voices founder Ty Haney accused of defrauding investors in $3M energy drink deal    

Transcribed - Published: 8 November 2025

The demon living inside Les Wexner's head brings us into the Victoria's Secret gremlin lair! Adam and Becca go back to the early 2000s to tell the story of the rise and fall of this retail behemoth and the corporate crooks who drove it into the ground.  CW: Sexual Assault, Suicide  Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes and the aftershow Pics from this episode on Substack Watch on YouTube Thanks to our sponsor, Manager Method. Use code GOSSIP for 10% off!  Visit the Pullman National Historical Park  Email our good news correspondant with tips: elizabethliu526@gmail.com  Timestamps:  00:00 - Intro & Ed Razek's creep club  16:30 - The toxic culture inside Victoria's Secret  25:00 - Les Wexner's childhood & mommy issues 42:00 - Jack Fucking Welch shows up!!! The fall of Victoria's Secret  Links:  Selling Sexy: Victoria's Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon 'Angels' in Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria's Secret The Mogul and the Monster: Inside Jeffrey Epstein's Decades-Long Relationship With His Biggest Client

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2025

Listen to the full episode on Patreon. Join today at the Murdoch's Mates level and get FOUR bonus epiosdes every month plus the Corporate Gossip Book Club and group chat!  On a chilly October night, I like to cuddle up with a good ponzi scheme. It's my comfort fraud <3 Links: 'Do You Believe I'm a Scam? Haha' Tai Lopez became YouTube famous promising men they too could own a Lamborghini. Then came the alleged Ponzi scheme. Tai Lopez's RadioShack Ponzi Scheme Read the SEC complaint This Clown Is Still Around its always the guy you suspect the most

Transcribed - Published: 19 October 2025

Please Rate and Review this Podcast!!  CW: Suicide, Sexual Assault  Join the Patreon for the aftershow and tons of bonus content  No game developer would even think to create a dungeon troll as sinister as Bobby Kotick. Bobby's life is a video game where gobbling up cash is the mission and when it comes to retribution there is no side quest too small!  When the WSJ drops a bombshell report about years of sexual harassment and toxic culture at Activsion Blizard, will Bobby Kotick finally run out of lives? Or will he respawn in the form of a trash goblin who gets bonus points for punching down? Thanks to our sponsor Borough House Creative Advertise on the Corporate Gossip Podcast Watch on YouTube Time Stamps:  00:00 - Background on Activision Blizzard 09:30 - Bobby Kotick meets Daddy Wynnbucks and becomes an adopted nepo baby, starts game publisher Activision and develops expert level skill in suing people less rich than him 29:30 - Blizzard origin story, early reports of sexual harassment  51:00 - Activision Blizzard merger, Bobby Kotick turns the company into the Triangle Shirtwaist factory while board members look the other way  56:00 - Bobby Kotick completes the CEO right of passage - bending over for the CCP!  60:00 - The lights come on and everyone realizes Bobby Kotick is a little dungeon troll  Note:  Activision Blizzard denied any wrongdoing, and the settlement confirms California Civil Rights Department (CRD) could not substantiate those claims. As part of the settlement, the CRD withdrew the claims related to harassment from its complaint. Links:  Play Nice (book)  'Scorched earth' and big profits: How embattled gaming titan Bobby Kotick outlasts his opponents At Blizzard, groping, free-flowing booze and fear of retaliation tainted 'magical' workplace Blizzard Sets Off Backlash for Penalizing Hearthstone Gamer in Hong Kong Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Knew for Years About Sexual-Misconduct Allegations at Videogame Giant A group of Activision workers say their C.E.O. should step down. Parents Say Sexual Harassment at Activision Blizzard Led to Their Daughter's Suicide

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2025

Listen to the full episode on Patreon. Join today at the Murdoch's Mates level and get FOUR bonus epiosdes every month plus the Corporate Gossip Book Club and group chat!  In this episode:  Brian Niccol TRIES HIS HARDEST to get us to like Starbucks again as he tries to escape the living ghost of Howard Shultz. I also went to the Charlie Javice Sentencing yesterday - my report starts at 48:15. 7 YEARS!!! I was shocked - I was certain she'd be sentenced to no more than 5. Links: Starbucks is closing more stores and laying off 900 workers Starbucks CEO's turnaround isn't happening fast enough for Wall Street Howard Schultz says he is a big fan of Brian Niccol's 'brilliant' Starbucks revival strategy Starbucks enters the protein wars with test of new drink option  Starbucks to use AI to track inventory, free up baristas to connect Starbucks seeks to slash million-dollar store upgrade costs Write to Starbucks Corporate: https://customerservice.starbucks.com/sbux Starbucks Customer Contact Center: 1 (800) 782-7282 Charlie Javice Sentenced to 85 Months in Prison for Fraud <3333

Transcribed - Published: 2 October 2025

Join the Patreon for the aftershow and tons of bonus content  It's the quintessential American company - gaslighting the public, twisting regulators by the balls, and killing consumers in the name of shareholder value! This story is a smorgasbord of deviance - lies, fraud, corruption, cults, and a very sweaty CEO. So put on your lab coats and take out your popcorn as we dive into the pharmaceutical trash heap known as Johnson & Johnson - and yes, we're going to talk about Tylenol.  Watch on YouTube Pics from today's episode Thank you to our sponsors: Twin Cities Comic Con Studio Govan Hear YOUR ad on the pod Submit a good news story to our good news correspondent elizabethliu526@gmail.com  Timestamps:  00:00 - History of J&J  12:15 - Busting the myths of the 1982 Tylenol cyanide murders 24:00 - Tylenol, liver failure, and the cost of doing business 38:30 - FDA <3 J&J 46:00 - The J&J credo on opposite day (Risperdal kills nursing home patients and gives young boys breasts!)  01:08:00 - Oops! Extra Asbestos (J&J Talc based baby powder)  Links:  No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson  Dose of Confusion How Independent is the FDA How Johnson & Johnson has somehow survived scandal after scandal   $8 Billion Verdict in Drug Lawsuit Is Reduced to $6.8 Million Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder  

Transcribed - Published: 26 September 2025

We are an independent podcast with no corporate sponsors. The Patreon helps keep the lights on, please consider joining at the Skillling's Sweeties level and get FOUR bonus episodes every month or the Murdoch's Mates level to join our live book club and group chat! Hear the rest of the episode on Patreon TW: Sexual Assault Wallstreets skankiest trash goblin, Jamie Dimon, has had the worst week EVER after a mind-blowing investigation was published by the NYT last week. Some truly flabbergasting revelations had us asking, can Dimon widdle baby his way out of this one? Links (please DM me if you need a gift link!): How Jeffrey Epstein Used the Billionaire Behind Victoria's Secret for Wealth and Women How JPMorgan Enabled the Crimes of Jeffrey Epstein THE TALENTED MR. EPSTEIN Why Didn't Vanity Fair Break the Jeffrey Epstein Story? "She Was Shaking Uncontrollably": Powerful Men, Disturbing New Details in Unsealed Jeffrey Epstein Documents Senators Call for Hearings About JPMorgan's Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Transcribed - Published: 17 September 2025

Please rate and review this podcast! What ever happened to AOL?! We go all the way back to 1999 (home video included) and meet Steve Case, the CEO of, at the time, the largest technology company in America. High on his own supply, he wrangles Time Warner CEO Jerry Levin into a business noogie and manages to destroy  a third of a TRILLION DOLLARS in shareholder value almost instantly.  TW: murder  Pictures Watch on Youtube  Join the Patreon for the aftershow and tons of bonus content  Thank you to today's sponsors:  Aster + Lupine RainBao Food Truck  Links:  Stealing Time (book) Fools Rush In (book) There Must be a Pony in here Somewhere (book) Gerald M. Levin, Time Warner Chief in a Merger Debacle, Dies at 84 How the AOL-Time Warner Merger Went So Wrong

Transcribed - Published: 12 September 2025

Please rate and review this podcast! We're back with part two of our series on Open AI (we're done after this one for a while). Everyone's making everything up all the time and no one has any idea what will happen in the future. In this episode, we cover the wild claims made about AI and AGI and how those predictions are being used to justify environmental destruction and human exploitation. Also Sam Altman stands on his tippytoes.  Listen to the aftershow on Patreon Today's sponsors are Darling Beasts, a book by Michelle Gable and The Talent Spot Advertise with us!   Pictures from this episode Submit a good news story by email to our good news correspondent elizabethliu526@gmail.com  Links:  Empire of AI (Book)  'There was all sorts of toxic behaviour': Timnit Gebru on her sacking by Google, AI's dangers and big tech AI is draining water from Areas that need it most Small Oregon county reckons with fallout from data center scandal Arizona city defeats massive data center project over water, energy concerns Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in 'digital sweatshops' TIME100 AI 2024: Mophat Okinyi  

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2025

Please rate and review this podcast! CW: Child Sexual Assault  Meet Sam Altman, one of the most powerful men in tech (also maybe evil Pete Buttigieg??) and his posse of boy pests. We take you deep into the bunkers of Silicon Valley to Sam's inner circle to figure out how he became so rotted. Was it insecurity? Napoleon syndrome? OR SCURVY INDUCED PSYCHOSIS ???  Listen to the aftershow on Patreon Watch on Youtube  Today's sponsors are Brick of Chicago and Neurorenew PT Advertise with us!  Pictures from the episode Submit a good news story by email to our good news correspondent elizabethliu526@gmail.com  Links:  You look like a thing and I love you (Book) Empire of AI (Book)  The Worst Hard Time (Book)  Sam Altman Is the Oppenheimer of Our Age Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny Sam Altman on His Plan to Keep A.I. Out of the Hands of the "Bad Guys"  Leaked OpenAI documents reveal aggressive tactics toward former employees Know Your Rights Virtual Workshop  

Transcribed - Published: 16 August 2025

Why is it that no one wants to see a hot guy succeed?!!!? This is the story of the three best friends, lead by Bell Air Boy Boss Sean Rad. They created Tinder and became the coolest millennials in LA, hosting parties with Jason Derulo and Kristen Doute and preparing their bank accounts for an influx of cash after being acquired by Match.com. But it's hard to read the fine print on a legal document by the light of a glow-stick! And while they were partying, Barry Diller was scheming from his megayacht. Soon, their viral app would be swiped from under them.  Join the Patreon for bonus episodes! Watch on Youtube  Advertise on Corporate Gossip Pictures from today's episode  10:00 - Intro  23:30 - Corporate Gossip #1: Here, put on this bedsheet and gladiator sandals, we're going to a COLLEGE TOGA PARTY!! FOR BUSINESS!!  37:00 - Corporate Gossip #2: Business daddy issues  46:00 - Corporate Gossip #3: Tinder founders - "we're stupid, BUT we're also sexual harassers, (allegedly)" 51:30 - Corporate Gossip #4: Nanci Jo Sales strikes  56:30 - Corporate Gossip #5: The VC urge to give a bunch of 20 somethings a million dollars and no oversight  1:04:00 - Corporate Gossip #6: Literally Match I Double dog dare you to find someone to be CEO who isn't a dumb creep 1:12:25 - Corporate Gossip #7: Nasty Grams from Blatt 1:15:00 - Corporate Gossip#8: Follow up & Takeaways  Links:  Mr. (Swipe) Right? 'Sodomy' and scandal: Tinder's thoroughly embarrassing stock-market debut  A Tinder Revenge Story The revolutionary dating app made a lot of people rich. Co-founder Sean Rad didn't feel rich enough. An Open Letter to Tinder's Sean Rad from V.F.'s Nancy Jo Sales Thank you to today's sponsors!  Karinas Confectioneries Ellin Lolis    

Transcribed - Published: 1 August 2025

The CEO of tech company Astronomer was caught at a Coldplay concert canoodling with the head of HR in a video that has since gone mega-viral. And SUDDENLY everyone is interested in what I thought was a niche topic - CEOs behaving badly!!  In this emergency episode, I review the latest in the Astronomer scandal and recap my favorite executive cheating scandals that we've covered on the podcast.  Correction: In an earlier version of this epiosde, I said Friends and ER were on CBS. They were not, they were on NBC. I also said Rupert Murdoch's wife was "Jerry Halloway" not "Jerry Hall." That's because I'm a millenial and I'm always thinking about the Spice Girls.  Timestamps:  00:00 Astronomer  07:25 - Kevin Plank (Under Armour)  13:30 - Sergey Brin (Google) 20:00 - Les Moonves (CBS)  24:30 - SBF (FTX)  26:00 - Jack Welch (GE)  27:20 - Rupert Murdoch (NewsCorp / Fox News)  I also touch on Dov Charney (American Apparel), Eddie Antar (Crazy Eddie), The Insys Sales Reps, and Vince McMahon (WWE)   

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2025

Checking in before our OFFICIAL Corporate Gossip Summer Research Break! We'll be back in July with regular episodes. Join us on Patreon  Sign up for the Corporate Gossip Ad program here This Brain Had a Mouth: Lucy Gwin and the Voice of Disability Nation Audubon chapter rejects offer from The Hartford to reinstate coverage BTW - we forgot to mention, but after The Hartford said they'd reinstate coverage, the Audobon chapter told the company to kick rocks! 

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2025

For bonus content and discussions on each episode join us on Patreon We wrap up this absolute UNIT of a two part episode by examining the Facebook story by stepping into our proverbial blue sequined rompers and seeing the world behind Mark Zuckberg's baby bangs. BUCKLE UP as Becca and Adam try to figure out - did the accumulation of unchecked power and extraordinary wealth over 20 years take ice cream scoops out of Mark Zuckerberg's brain? OR did his unique position on top of business boy mountain give him the freedom to reveal the curly-haired gremlin that was always hiding within?? Links:  Pics from the episode The Zuckerberg Files It's Time to Break Up Facebook  How Mark Zuckerberg Led Facebook's War to Crush Google Plus Mark Zuckerberg Apparently Didn't Tell Congress the Whole Truth About Facebook An Ugly Truth Careless People Good News: Inside a Union's Fight Against Trump's Federal Job Cuts Got good news? Email our Good News Correspondent elizabethliu526@gmail.com

Transcribed - Published: 3 May 2025

For bonus content and discussions on each episode join us on Patreon If Sheryl Sandberg & Mark Zuckerberg never encountered one another at a Christmas party in Atherton in 2007 would the world have been a better place? Find out as we go ALLL the way back and trace the story of Sheryl Sandberg's Dr. Frankenstein and her Mark Zuckerberg monster. Was there sexual tension between the two of them (no one explicitly has said that but I PICKED UP ON A FEW THINGS!)??. Were either of them good people who were corrupted? Or were they destined to seek power and destroy once they reached the top? What about now? Do they feel ashamed about the lives they've destroyed, directly or indirectly? Do they hate themselves more than we could ever hate them? Are there ANY heroes in this story at all? What do you think?! Links: Pics from the episode Why Sheryl Sandberg Quit Facebook's Meta "When You Get That Wealthy, You Start to Buy Your Own Bullshit": The Miseducation of Sheryl Sandberg An Ugly Truth Careless People Got good news? Email our Good News Correspondent elizabethliu526@gmail.com  

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2025

This was going to be a Patreon exclusive but I decided to make it free for everyone! If you want to support this indie podcast, consider joining the Patreon. You'll get bonus content twice a month, discussion posts with me and other members, and extra juciy content that didn't make the cut on regular episodes!  The jury is now deliberating! What do you think? Guilty or Not Guilty? At the closing arguments of US vs. Charlie Javice, aka the Jose Baez oral rollercoaster. WEEE!!! Highlights include: The Monopoly Man is ACTUALLY J.P. Morgan Jamie Dimons "widdle baby" defense A scorned bank employee hopes to save bank daddies reputation As always, hyper realistic drawings that bring you into the belly of the lower Manhattan District Courthouse  

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

In 2007, the mecca of hipster paradise was the Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn. Etsy epitomized elder-millennial quirk with a sprinkle of digital delusion, and no one personified the vibes quite like their CEO and founder, Rob Kalin.  But while Kalin and his friends were building a crafters utopia, a ruthless venture capitalist had another plan for the company: destroy it from the inside out and get SUPER rich doing it. Join the Patreon for bonus episodes and discussion!  Pictures now on Patreon (no paywall!) Links: Etsy Wants to Crochet Its Cake, and Eat It Too Etsy Was a Twee Culture Punchline. Now It's a Wall Street Darling. Etsy CEO says company is escaping 'race to the bottom' and getting back to its artisan roots  

Transcribed - Published: 21 March 2025

Please share this podcast with a friend!  Charlie Javice is another Forbes 30-under-30 uber-genius-startup-founder (see: SBF, Elizabeth Holmes, or Carlos Watson) who spent about 18 months in the warm center of the venture capital fake-it-till-you-make-it circle jerk before the sisal rug gets pulled out from under her. Once she was exposed as a total phony, every investor immediately covered their own ass and scrub the internet of any trace of themselves slobbering all over her. But one investor, JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon, took it a step further, and (in our opinion) weaponized the United States Justice Department to punish Javice for embarrassing him infront of his big bank friends!!!  Pictures from this episode on Substack We're an indie podcast supported by listeners like you! Support us by joining the Patreon, and get two bonus episodes every month! I'm also covering the trial in more detail over there.  Got an idea for a good news story? Send an email to our good news correspondant elizabethliu526@gmail.com  Links:  USA v. Javice How Charlie Javice Got JPMorgan to Pay $175 Million for … What Exactly? Charlie Javice, Millennial CEO Sued by JPMorgan, Was a 'Namedropping' Cool Boss The 8 Most Confusing Things About FAFSA Jamie Dimon Says Frank Acquisition 'Was A Huge Mistake' After JP Morgan Alleges Millions Of Fake Customers  

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

This is an episode for our true crime lovers! we're talking about a 2019 GANG STALKING SCANDAL that involves the executives at a fortune 500 company criminally stalking a sweet old couple. What made these executives so mad? The chief executives at Ebay so deeply butthurt about a comment the couple made on their niche ecommerce blog that they crashed-out into a goodfellas-esque, rage fueled paranoid spiral, and orchestrated a highly illegal stalking and harassment campaign against them.  Pics on Substack Join us over on Patreon for bonus episodes twice a month. Right now I'm also attending the trial of Charlie Javice and providing regular debriefs from the courtroom. We are a 100% ad-free community supported podcast!  Links from today's episode (let us know if you need gift links)  Elliott Management letter puts eBay on notice to improve stock performance Inside eBay's Cockroach Cult: The Ghastly Story of a Stalking Scandal Silicon Valley elite defend nonprofit CEO with dark past - San José Spotlight A Special Message for EcommerceBytes Readers

Transcribed - Published: 22 February 2025

Please share this podcast with a friend :)  PLUS good news about a health care strike in Oregon! We emerge from the vapor haze of a high school bathroom (how are these kids blowing PERFECT smoke rings??) to tell the tale of two Stanford grads who did what every single-celled-business-ameoba-boy dreamed of doing but was too scared to actually commit to doing - MAKE SMOKING COOL AGAIN!! They undid decades of work by doctors and public health advocates and turned millions of kids who would have never smoked a traditional cigarette into nicotine dependent freakazoids. CA-CHING!! Riddled with RAGING CASES of silliconvalleyitis, Juul's founders market their powerful nicotine delivery device straight to kids while the FDA was taking a well-deserved half-decade nap. They BLITZSCALED their way to a $38billion valuation and made like 50 people a lot of money. But of course, after the BLITZSCALE comes the HYPERFLOP... Research: The Devil's Playbook by Lauren Etter Big Vape by Jamie DuCharme Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. JUUL Labs The Juul Is Too Cool How Juul Got Vaporized Links: See pics on our Substack Join the Patreon Support the pod by buying us a coffee  Record YOUR podcast at Producer Mike's studio! E-mail our Good News Correspondent with good news stories! elizabethliu526@gmail.com 

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2025

We're BACK and starting off with an absolute banger! Sit back and enjoy the messy escapades of a bunch of horned up teenagers trapped in adult bodies: 23&Me Founder Anne Wojcicki, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and A Bald Eagle's worst nightmare, Elon Musk. With cameos from RFK Jr (POST Brain Worm) and the corporate scandal Forrest Gump, Diane von Furstenberg, this episode is the WHOSE WHO of Silicon Valley hanky panky. We also update our listeners on the state of the podcast, including exciting changes around 1:11:00 Catch bonus episodes on Patreon View pictures on our Substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out Mike's new studio!  Links:  The Doyenne of DNA Says: Just Chillax With Your Ex O.K., Glass: Make Google Eyes As 23andMe Struggles, Concerns Surface About Its Genetic Data

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 2025

Don't forget to rate and review!  Becca and Adam talk about the Giggly Grain Grandpa: Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill. But don't toss your oats just yet, this is a good episode. We'll teach you how to have a Bob Moore Summer (Perfecting your porridge, socializing the means of production, hyperfixating on hobbies, and being jolly) and restore your faith in CEOs.  Then we answer listener questions (37 min mark). THANK YOU! For another great season - we'll see you soon :)  Support the pod  Pics on substack Links: Bob's Red Mill: Securing The Future Through Employee Ownership Bob Moore, Who Founded Bob's Red Mill, Is Dead at 94 Executive greed is driving the labor shortage, says 93-year-old leader whose workers own 100% of the company

Transcribed - Published: 2 August 2024

Put on your flower crowns and don your skinniest jeans and join us at the center of the Millennial universe: Coachella 2007!  Adam & Becca meet the personification of the turn of the century hipster entrepreneur, Dov Charney. Sitting atop a pile of v-neck t-shirts ethically made in the USA, Charney was somewhat of a renegade business oddity on wall-street. But for the 20-something dreamers that clamored for the brand's clothing, he was a captivating revolutionary. Their devotion, along with a bevy of young corporate employees, easily exploited under the guise of "a greater purpose," allowed American Apparel to rapidly expand and IPO in 2007. The stores were everywhere you wanted to be… until they weren't.  Eventually, abuse allegations coupled with financial mismanagement threatened Charney's reign as king of t-shirt mountain. With the walls closing in on him, he spiraled out of control… taking the company he founded with him.  CW: Sexual abuse  Pics on substack Support the pod  Links:  Read Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles Watch Big Rad Wolf  The Young Garmentos (and the If Books Could Kill episode on Malcom Gladwell) Meet Your New Boss  Dov Charney's Sleazy Struggle for Control of American Apparel  

Transcribed - Published: 26 July 2024

NO ONE does fraud like Eddie Antar, and Crazy Eddie is the bizarre story that got Becca hooked on fraud!  Adam, Becca, and their Dad Jeff pop a few ludes and drop down the rabbit hole into a 1970's New York City punk rock fever dream. They meet a young Eddie Antar scamming tourists in a seedy Time Square clip joint and follow his journey to become the eccentric millionaire founder of Crazy Eddie Electronics. Antar was a marketing genius, and by the mid 1980's commercials for the chain were inescapable, shoppers were practically screamed at to rush out to Crazy Eddie's because 'HIS PRICES ARE INSANE!!!!'  The insane prices, of course, were facilitated by an elaborate criminal racket. Money laundering, insurance fraud, tax evasion, bribery, insider trading… Eddie Antar did it all! But when the cash begins to dry up, Eddie's increasingly desperate and brazen behavior puts him in the crosshairs of the SEC. That's when Eddie Antar became an international fugitive and left his family, who enabled and benefited from his behavior, holding the bag.  Support the pod  Pics on our Substack Links:  Read Retail Gangster: The Insane, Real-Life Story of Crazy Eddie  Crazy Eddie commercial from 1982 Remembering Crazy Eddie: His Prices Were Insane  

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2024

Why does doing taxes suck so much? Because Capitalism! Over the past 20 years, the lovable dweebs at the IRS have been on a quest to make filing personal taxes free and easy. They say America should be like other countries, where the government sends you a pre-filled tax return and all you have to do is sign-off. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Like what kind of deranged psychopath wouldn't want that?  Enter Intuit, maker of tax preparation software Turbo Tax, and their disgruntled band of lobbyists. Their entire business model depends on you being afraid to screw up your taxes. So they bribe lawmakers to over-complicate tax laws, threaten the government into underfunding the IRS, and run dubious misinformation campaigns alleging that free tax filing is somehow… racist?  The nefarious knuckleheads at Intuit would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for the determined efforts of Propublica journalists. They joined forces with the unlikely heroes at the IRS, and from a muggy basement office in Washington they stood up to Big Tax and won.  We <3 the IRS and you will too after this episode!  Support the pod  Pics on our substack Links:  How Intuit Reinvents Itself (Fortune) The TurboTax Trap (ProPublica Investigation series) IRS makes free tax return program permanent and is asking all states to join in 2025   

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 2024

ANOTHER BONUS EPISODE! Becca & Adam talk to Evan Drellich, the author of Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess Read Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess Support the pod   

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2024

America's pastimes: Baseball and Fraud!  What happens when a bunch of fleece-vested jabronis take over a Major League Baseball team? Becca and Adam hop the fence at the stadium formerly known as Enron field and bring you the tea from the front-office of the Houston Astros.  Two years after the Astros won the World Series, the Athletic dropped a bombshell: the team had cheated. The public fallout was swift - fines were levied, rules were changed, and championships were threatened. The players and coaches bore the brunt of the blame, while the true schemers at the root of the scandal evaded scrutiny. That is until a group of tenacious reporters uncovered how Astros leadership were infected by the MBA-pilled corporate villains at McKinsey.  If you listened to our episode on McKinsey you know what happens next. Values were trashed as profits were maxed by any means possible. Ultimately, the Astros clubhouse became an environment where cheating was acceptable. Because after all, Winning Fixes Everything.  Listen to all of Season 4 on Patreon  Support the pod  Links:  Pics on our Substack Read Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess Watch The Astros Edge  The Astros opened baseball ops to McKinsey consultants, from scouting to R&D and the farm The Astros stole signs electronically in 2017 — part of a much broader issue for Major League Baseball  

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 2024

If you thought Sumner Redstone was a degenerate, just WAIT until you meet his pervy protege, Les Moonves!  CBS CEO Les Moonves, aka "Mr. TV" is one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. He transformed CBS from a sleepy granny network into a ratings powerhouse with shows like Survivor, Big Brother, Criminal Minds, and The Big Bang Theory. The business part of this story is one Cheezy Blaster away from being a 30 Rock episode. The action behind closed doors on the other hand, feels more like Law & Order: SVU.  CW: Sexual abuse  Listen to all of Season 4 on Patreon  Support the pod Pics on substack Links:   Read Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy Les Moonves' spectacular rise before his fall from grace Why Sumner Redstone's men; Leslie Moonves and Philippe Dauman; made a king's ransom Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct Paramount+'s Existential Questions Leslie Moonves Fined $11K by L.A. City Ethics Commission for His Role in LAPD Scandal  

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2024

The Paramount / Viacom story is just like Bravo's Summer House, but SCARIER!  Our main character, Paramount CEO Sumner Redstone, is a horny teenager trapped in the body of a crusty old billionaire. At 92, despite being barely conscious, he was still chairman of TWO publicly traded companies.This real life  Weekend at Bernie's scheme was made possible by a group of executive-level lowlifes who took advantage of their absent boss and enriched themselves at the expense of shareholders. It wasn't until a group of unlikely heroes exposed the elder abuse taking place at Sumner's mansion that someone finally pulled the plug. But by then, the stench emanating from the geriatric bachelor pad was too strong for even the most devoted Paramount / Viacom supporters to ignore.  Join Becca and Adam as they tell the story of the unlikely rise and fall of Sumner Redstone and Paramount Global.  CW: Elder abuse, Sexual abuse  Listen to all of Season 4 on Patreon  Support the pod Pics on substack Links:  Read Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy  The Cringey Sexcapades of a Horny Billionaire  Who Controls Sumner Redstone?  Viacom Is Having A Midlife Crisis   Spring Owl Activist Investor Deck  

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2024

Insys was the startup unicorn of the opioid crisis, and boy did they know how to party.  Becca & Adam meet Insys CEO John Kapoor and his rowdy band of crooked pharmaceutical reps as they slither their way through doctors offices across the country, pushing their marquee product: Fentanyl! The shady sales reps unleashed the powerful opioid on unsuspecting patients and bribed their doctors to increase dosages through an illegal kickback scheme. Eventually their shameless conspiracies and criminal shakedowns lead to a public meltdown and federal racketeering charges, but not before Kapoor could be crowned Forbes coverboy!  CW: Drug abuse  Links:  Pictures on our Substack The Pain Hustlers - NYT Expose  Read Pain Hustlers - the book An Opioid Spray Showered Billionaire John Kapoor In Riches. Now He's Feeling The Pain A potent painkiller, and the drug maker's marketing, are faulted in a woman's death Pharmaceutical Executive John Kapoor Sentenced To 66 Months In Prison In Opioid Trial Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2024

IT'S A BONUS EPISODE, BROTHER!  Becca and Adam talk with the author of Ringmaster, Josie Riesman Read Ringmaster by Josie Riesman Follow Josie on Instagram, her website josie.zone, or the book website Josie's article mentioned in the interview: Wrestling turned me cis, then it turned me trans

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2024

Welcome back brother!! Season 4 is here and ready to SMACKDOWN! WWE style. Binge ALL of Season 4 NOW on Patreon! We've seen this story before - a deeply traumatized child inherits their father's business and fills the void left by the adults that failed them with, what else… MONEY!!!! Rather than spend time examining his emotional shortcomings, Vince McMahon creates an alter ego, Mr. McMahon, to live out his darkest fantasies. But what happens when the CEO of a public company is also the greatest heel of all time? Find out as Becca and Adam step into the Hell in a Cell of the business of professional wrestling and battle through 60 years of the stinkiest secrets of World Wrestling Entertainment.  CW: Drugs, Sexual Abuse  Links:  Support the podcast Pics in our Substack Read Ringmaster by  Josie Riesman Now It Can Be Told: Those Pro Wrestlers Are Just Having Fun  2003 Vince McMahon on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Federal Prosecutors Investigate Vince McMahon Sex-Trafficking Allegations  

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2024

It's the Season 3 Finale! We answer listener questions and meet the Yogurt King of New York:  Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulkaya. From nomadic Turkish farmer to millionaire milk mogul, Ulkaya became known as the Anti-CEO, prioritizing people over profit and creating one of the fastest growing food companies in America.  Correction: We said the Chobani Idaho factory was in Idaho falls. It is actually in Twin Falls. Thanks to the listener who pointed that out!  If you liked this season don't forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE PODCAST  Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps & Links:  01:30 - Listener Questions How did you guys come up with this idea for the podcast? What's the best / juiciest piece of corporate gossip that didn't make the cut? Why are your seasons so short? I would pay for a subscription to get a weekly episode until the end of time! I'm a final year student in finance and I'm worried I have made a terrible mistake studying this degree, as it seems that corporations mostly cause more harm than [good], and benefits an elite few. is there any field you would recommend where I could use my degree for good? Is there a way that finance can be a force for good? Given the intricate web of corporate scandals involving entities like FTX, McKinsey, Koch Industries, SVB, etc. I'm curious to know: What common threads or distinct patterns have you observed across these cases, and how do these scandals reflect broader issues within the corporate landscape? Have there been any surprising twists or unique aspects in these stories that stand out to you guys, providing deeper insights into the world of corporate misconduct 18:00 - Chobani's Anti CEO  Links:  The Profile Dossier: Hamdi Ulukaya, the Shepherd-Turned-Billionaire CEO Chobani CEO says pulling IPO was one of the best decisions company has made Chobani hired hundreds of refugees at its plants. Average tenure now exceeds industry average Chobani's CEO is giving up to 10 percent of his company to employees Capitalism and Humanitarianism Can Coexist. Chobani's CEO Is Trying to Prove It  

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2023

In 2017 Carlos Ghosn was on top of the world, he was a Japanese national hero, renowned for bringing Nissan back to life from the brink of failure. His face was on the cover of magazines, his story was depicted in Manga, he even carried the torch at the Olympics in his home country of Brazil. His sudden arrest in 2018 for financial crimes was an unexpected twist in his story that made him the center of international intrigue. As extraordinary as his life had become, no one could have imagined what would come next...  Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  5:40 - CG#1: Carlos Ghosn joins the growing number of wayward CEOs with daddy issues  9:15 - CG#2:  Meet carlos's car daddy: Francois Michilin  17:40 - CG#3: It's time for Carlos' Makover montage!  31:25 - CG#4: Carlos Ghosn enters his dwight schrute era 36:50 - CG#5: Ghosn follows the CEO playbook - time for an ostentatious company sponsored personal party that definitely will have no negative PR implications whatsoever 49:00 - CG#6: All Partied out!!  52:33 - CG#7: What do they say? You either die a hero or live long enough to be smuggled out of Japan in an equipment box? 56:30 - CG#7: What do they say? You either die a hero or live long enough to be smuggled out of Japan in an equipment box?  

Transcribed - Published: 1 December 2023

Becca is joined by Corporate Gossip startup correspondent Aaron Cohn to dip our tube-socked toes into the FTX trial. We meet Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), a rumpled 28-year-old-grown-adult-boy-genius who built a $40 billion crypto empire in less than three years. But his meteoric rise to crypto kingpin was followed quickly by his fall to the bottom of shit-coin mountain.  And now, SBF is facing up to 115 years in federal prison for fraud.  Check "build a website" off your to-do list with realnice website builder!  Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  17:40 - Corporate Gossip #1: Sam Bankman Fried raises $420.69m from 69 founders in a "meme" funding round and raises zero red flags 33:45 - Corporate Gossip #2: This guy can't be a criminal… I mean, come on, have you ever seen a criminal in wrinkly cargo shorts??? 45:00 -  Corporate Gossip #3:  To the moon!  50:00 - Corporate Gossip #4: FTX: Fraud on top of shit mountain  1:09:40 - Corproate Gossip #5: When people stop being polite, and start getting indicted 1:13:30 - Corporate Gossip #6: Will the Smol bean / Widdle baby defense work for Sam?

Transcribed - Published: 3 November 2023

A very haunted episode of the Corporate Gossip Podcast! Becca and adam talk about the House of Villains that is Pacific Gas and Electric. The collection of CEOs that have lead the utility company over the past two decades are are more dubious than Omarosa and more dimwitted than Jax Taylor. On the upside, this episode should cure even the most chronic cases of imposter syndrome.  Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  11:00 - "You guys need to stop talking about Enron" - said no one ever  15:00 - Peter Darabee is possessed by the ghost of Jack Welch and then gets scammed by Accenture  22:00 - Stay humble Tony Early 31:00 -Geisha Williams is rewarded for her job as pain sponge after the San Bruno explosions and is crowned CEO  46:00 - Bill Johnson, blink and you'll miss him   53:00 - Patti Poppe: New decade, same bullshit 

Transcribed - Published: 27 October 2023

It's hard to talk about corporate gossip without talking about McKinsey. They're everywhere! They advise the biggest companies in every industry in practically every company in America (90% of the Fortune 100 companies use Mckinsey). From Las Vegas Casinos to the Vatican, McKinsey consultants, armed with their Thinkbooks and Tumi rollerbags, dispense their advice on maximizing the bottom line under a veil of secrecy. That is until recently, when dogged reporters sifted through thousands of documents made public as part of a series of lawsuits and criminal investigations into the firm. Becca and Adam read through it all and are bringing you the juiciest stories. They find out that when it comes to systemic corporate malfeasance, McKinsey isn't the one who lit the match, but they're often found fanning the flames. Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  10:00 - Corporate Gossip #1: McKinsey, this is why we can't have nice things (Intro and background)  30:00 - Corporate Gossip #2: If Jack Welch is Theresa Giudice, McKinsey is Juicy Joe and today's billionaire boss-boys are 4 year-old Melania (How McKinsey influences the world's largest companies)  52:00 - Corporate Gossip #3: McKinsey: Our consultants are happy to provide clean pee for your patients who are addicted to heroin!! (McKinsey's role in the Opiod Crisis)  1:05:00 - Corporate Gossip #4: Enron is basically a McKinsey spinoff in which Jeff Skilling visits Ken Lay at the summer house in Montauk (McKinsey's role in the Enron rise & fall)  1:09:00 - Corporate Gossip #5: If you're looking for the Lizard people controlling the American economy it's not the west coast elites… it's McKinsey! (McKinsey as a Corporate Villian)  1:15:00 - Corporate Gossip #6: Clarence Thomas really went - guys know what would make McKinsey better??? If they had access to more white men!! Hey now… white men who can take me on Yachts. (How the overturning of affirmative action plays into McKinsey's ability to continue weaponizing capitalism)   

Transcribed - Published: 20 October 2023

This is part two of a two part episode.  This week, Billy Koch turns into a corporate vigilante, as he takes the Department of Justice and the FBI on a private tour of the grounds where all the Koch corporate secrets are buried. We then tell the story of courtroom fight as dramatic as a Beverly Hills housewives reunion, with siblings rehashing decades-old conflicts and clawing at their share of billions of dollars. Then, Charles Koch continues his campaign to be voted "most-miserly" in the 2008 Billionaire Yearbook by funding an artificial-grassroots organization to promote his libertarian big business-first policies. Meanwhile, Bill Koch's son Wyatt asks the Sharks to invest $100,000 for a 10% stake in his palm-beach-boroque men's blouse line.  See the Koch family tree Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  02:00 - Corporate Gossip #5: Woke up this mornin' and I got myself some oil from Native American reservations  11:30 - Corporate Gossip #6: Law and Order - Special Boss Bois Unit  21:00 - Corporate Gossip #7: Profit is my religion and regulation is the devil!!   24:15 - Corporate Gossip #8: It's a 45-day plan. 45 days! To get us back, on track. 45 points! It's a 45-day, 45-point, one point per day. We get 45 points, we're back in business! [cheers] And you can take that to the bank! And limo lady! We are going to completely destroy Barak OBAMA! [more cheers] I love you New York! 29:30 - Corporate Gossip #9: Charles Koch: Ooops! Did I do that???? 33:00 - Corporate Gossip #10: Okay That was dark, let's end on a high note - Bill Koch's son's quest to create the ugliest t-shirts of all time

Transcribed - Published: 13 October 2023

The only thing more toxic than the emissions spewing from the smokestacks at Koch industries are the relationships between the four adult heirs to the family fortune. This story has EVERYTHING: court battles, private investigators, homosexual blackmail, ANNA NICOLE SMITH, sibling rivalry, and libertarian summer camp! Join Becca and Adam as they wade into the stinky, polluted waters of the Koch family dynasty in this two part episode!! See the Koch family tree Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  09:00 - Corporate Gossip #1: Duck, duck, Fred Koch Sr. dies of a heart attack  16:15 - Corporate Gossip #2: Growing up Koch  39:00 - Corporate Gossip #3: Charles is our daddy now and you better believe he's gonna take his unresolved trauma and unexamined political beliefs and make all of our lives miserable  48:00 - Corporate Gossip #4: At the Koch family christmas party, Bill confronts David & Charles over stealing his Dolce & Gabanna lifestyle and wagers a war that will destroy the family

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2023

David Zaslav is having the worst summer ever. He was heckled by thousands of graduates during his Boston University commencement address, publically shamed for holding a hunger games style gala in france, and had to fire his best friend! Oh and to top it all off, all of the workers he extracts his wealth from are on strike. Why doesn't anyone want to work anymore!!  Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  6:30 - Corporate Gossip #1: With friends like David Zaslav, who needs enemies? Zas fires his pain sponge, Chris Licht, on their morning walk in Central Park under the apocalyptic orange-haze of the Canadian Wildfires.  15:00 - Corporate Gossip #2: In the year 2023 - the same year that CEOs have pissed away $44bn on a social media app, killed 5 people in an ill fated trip to the Titanic, and challenged each other to a cage match, David Zaslav is STILL in the running for dumbest CEO of the year… 27:00 - Corporate Gossip #3: I think David Zaslav is just here for the zipline 40:15 - Corporate Gossip #4: C'mon guys, don't strike, I had plans this summer! I was gonna hang out!  52:45 - Corporate Gossip #5: You can't keep getting away with this Zaslav *shakes fist in air*

Transcribed - Published: 29 September 2023

Content warning: this episode references child abuse and suicide Ted Turner has more BDE in his pencil mustache than Zuck and Musk combined.  In the span of 5 years he captained a champion sailing yacht through the deadly celtic sea, pulled out an underdog win in the America's cup, bought two professional sports teams, and created the first ever 24-hour news network: CNN. His life is what LinkedIn Lunatics fantasize about. He created TBS, TNT, TCM, Cartoon Network, AND the iconic environmental superhero cartoon, "Captain Planet." He is cherished by unproblematic icons Jimmy Carter and Jane Fonda and despised by degenerate psychopath Rupert Murdoch.  Turner disrupted the media industry and spent years on top, but like so many of the characters in our podcast, he couldn't conquer his inner demons. Deep pain from a traumatic childhood and unaddressed mental health issues destroyed his marriage and threatened his fortune. In this episode, Becca & Adam attempt to trace the life of the chaos cowboy while expertly pronouncing the word "documentary."  Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Cover art:  Creative director @laurensubers Photographer @danielcanophoto @instajasp Props / Wardobe @__julesrose__ @mellerycellery Makeup / Hair @mardeaubeauty Timestamps:  8:40 - Corporate Gossip #1: In terms of Corporate Villains, David Zaslav, who we'll discuss next week, is the straight up evil, sociopathic type. But the other Corporate Villian in this story, Ted Turner, is more like the villain with a heart of gold.  36:50 - Corporate Gossip #2: Would you believe that the reason we have a 24 hour news cycle in America is because of Ted Turners undiagnosed mania? 48:10 - Corporate Gossip #3: Now it's time for Jimmy Carter to make an appearance as the empathetic king and Ted Turner's daddy figure (by the end of this segment, Jimmy Carter will be all of our dads).  59:10 - Corporate Gossip #5: As Ted's professional life is unraveling, Queen Jane Fonda throws in the towel and Ted lives out our collective fantasy - taking revenge on a boss that did you dirty.  1:04:20 - Corporate Gossip #6: Let's meet back up with Ted in present day as David Zaslav is meticulously picking apart his legacy with his hands and licking his little fingies like he's elbow deep in a pile of buffalo ribs.  

Transcribed - Published: 22 September 2023

Bonus Episode!!  It's like Jaws if everyone in Jaws worked for Jaws! It's the true story of Rupert Murdoch's main hustle (News Corp) and his side hustle (emotionally and financially manipulating his children). We trace Rupert's (aka RuMu) rise from under the thumb of his father, the original Murdoch Megalomaniac, to become an Australian media mogul. Then, he journeys to the UK and the US, leaving a stinky trail of editorial corruption wherever he goes. Strapped on his back are three of his grown children, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James, who are pulling and poking at one another as they battle for daddy's treasure: the top spot of the Murdoch Empire! We're on Youtube!!  Pictures of the Murdochs and research links are on our  Substack!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Instagram: @corporategossippod Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike  

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2023

SEASON 2 FINALE!! Thanks for your support this season, we'll be back with Season 3 later this summer!!  Don't forget to rate and review this podcast. Becca and Adam flew close to the sun last week and decided to end the season on a high note. We answer some listener questions and crown our 2023 Corporate Cutie before getting into some feel-good Corporate Gossip. The Costco story (18:45) is straight from a Jack Welch nightmare. Low CEO pay, a modest corporate headquarters, and no private jets?!!! Despite skimping on executive perks, Costco became a retail giant, peaking at #11 on the Fortune 500 list. And they did it without layoffs, downsizing, or offshoring… suck it McKinsey!! This episode has no strip clubs, accounting fraud, or subterfuge…  BUT it does have threats of MURDER!! We're on Youtube  Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Tiktok: @corporategossippod Instagram: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 01:00 - Intro (Confirmation that John Flannery is, in fact, still alive and thriving!! and our close encounter with Andy Cohen and why we're wrapping season 2 06:00 - Listener Questions 15:00 - Corporate cutie awards 2023 18:45 - Costco: Kings of Kirkland Links: Weddings by Costco Costco foodcourt challenge Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Leads the Cheapest, Happiest Company in the World Link to chart with revenue / salary Amazon and Walmart have raked in billions in additional profits during the pandemic, and shared almost none of it with their workers (Brookings institute expose)

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2023

Don't forget to rate and review this podcast!!  This is a true Corporate Gossip Exclusive: The ONLY comparative exploration of Enron and Vanderpump Rules.  On a summer day in 2012 in a restaurant garden in Weho, waitress Schena Shay confronts Housewife Brandi Glanville about the rumors of infidelity surrounding Brandi's husband, Eddie Cibrian. Narratively, this scene breaks the seam between the women of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the servers who tend to them. And television's crown jewel is born: Vanderpump Rules.   Few know that there was another cosmic seam that ripped at the same moment, and merged two dimensions along thematic parallels: cheating, fraud, topless bars, uppers, women's rights, and women's wrongs. If you're a Vanderpump girlie who wants to get into Enron or an Enron bro who wants to get into Vanderpump - this is ENRON RULES!  We explore the Enron collapse by meeting each of the main players and following them throughout the Enron story. We'll start with the villains who commanded the corporate clusterfuck and then meet the heroes who had the guts to defy them.  This episode also features our DAD! @Jeffplatsky We're on Youtube  Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps / Cast of characters:  6:00 - Introducing our DAD, the original corporate gossiper! 10:00ish - The Enron Scandal as told through the eys of the villains and the heroes:  The Villains:  Enron CEO Ken Lay aka Tom Schwartz Enron COO / CEO Jeff Skilling aka Jax Taylor Enron CFO Andy Fastow aka Tom Sandoval Bonus Villain! The Analysts aka Ken Todd and Lisa Vanderpump The Heroes:  Enron Whistleblower Sherron Watkins aka Kristen Doute Enron Whistleblower Margaret Ceconi aka Lala Kent Fortune Journalist Bethany McLean aka Schena Shay Links: How Enron Blew It The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron (Book) The Smartest Guys in the Room (Movie) You're Wrong About: Enron (Podcast) JUST DESERTS? / A year ago, Francine Cavanaugh tossed a pie at Jeffrey Skilling for gouging Californians now the former Enron CEO is under fire in Washington  

Transcribed - Published: 5 May 2023

A SUPERSIZED EPISODE!! Two pods in one!!!  Jack Welch is our collective Corporate Villain origin story. Potentially the most famous American CEO, Welch, like so many of the leaders we cover on this pod, possesses a dangerous combination of ruthlessness and incompetency. Adam and Becca trace his meteoric rise and salacious downfall before passing the reins of turd mountain (GE) to a series of doomed successors. Our apologies in advance to the fine people of Massachusets for our repeated unsuccessful attempts at a Boston accent.  P.S. John Flannery if you're reading this right now we love you please come on the pod <3333  Don't forget to rate and review this podcast! We're on Youtube  Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike   Links: How Jack Welch's Reign at G.E. Gave Us Elon Musk's Twitter Feed Was Jack Welch the Greatest C.E.O. of His Day—or the Worst? Jack Welch: Managerial Genius Who Made One Disastrous Mistake Harvard Editor Faces Revolt Over Handling of Welch Story Pic of Welch and Suzy making out  Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt on his controversial legacy: 'I don't want to hide' GE Cuts Larry Culp's 2022 Pay After Shareholder Protest Corrections:  GE is still the largest manufacturer of jet engines. Rolls Royce is #2 in the industry.   

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2023

If Theresa Giudice opened a mediocre fast casual sandwich shop it would look like Subway restaurants. Founded in part by a 17 year old from the Bronx named Fred Deluca, Subway would become the world's largest fast-food chain. But while Deluca's family was raking in that sweet meatball money, their franchisees were in honey ham hell. Once the sandwich king, Subway now faces serious lawsuits and FTC investigations amid dwindling sales. How did this chain, known for its "definitely 100% real, seriously guys I promise it really is tuna" sandwiches tumble to the bottom of the food chain? Find out on this episode of Corporate Gossip! Don't forget to rate and review this podcast! We're on Youtube  Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  1:50 - Fred Deluca opens the first Subway with $1,000 and a bag of tuna and quickly realizes that making franchise royalties is wayyyyy easier than making a hot italian sandwhich.    5:15 - Deluca is Tiny Time vibes with a Scrooge personality.    7:40 - The most haunted calendar of all time is created by Deluca and his colleagues. They literally take pictures of themselves shirtless around the office. Deluca is Mr. January.  12:30 - Subway becomes the LuLaRoe of fast food restaurants.  16:00 - Wokeup this mornin' and I got myself a sub.... Subway's hitmen set their targets on francisees. 22:30 - J*red F*gle, I don't think I need to say anymore.  26:00 - After his death, Deluca gives his estranged wife the ultimate anniversary present... half of a dying sandwhich company!  31:50 - Subway's requirement for a new CEO? Sharing the majority of the founder's DNA.  37:00 - You know what they say about mixing business with family? It literally always works every time! You should def do it!  40:00 - Subway spends millions of dollars on a rebrand and a ton of celebrity influencers but their sandwhiches still suck.  44:20 - Subway's future looks as grey as their tuna.  45:45 - Find out what fast food restaurant you are based on your zodiac sign. Links:  SubCon 2023! (Subway Convention)  Subway cofounder Fred DeLuca ruled the company like a demigod and pursued wives of franchisees. How one man sent the world's biggest fast-food chain into a tailspin Subway does franchisee damage control after John Oliver segment: memos Subway Got Too Big. Franchisees Paid a Price Inside the 2 secretive billionaire families that own Subway, as they face backlash from furious franchisees Judge rules Subway can be sued over claims that its tuna sandwiches contain other fish species or animal products New Subway sandwich menu items taste just as vile as the old ones What fast food are you based on your zodiac

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2023

This episode is Not Safe For Work / Your Harvard MBA class  Professional Canadian... sorry, Professional COMEDIAN, Nathan Macintosh joins Becca to fix capitalism. It's so easy it literally took us less than an hour guys. We discuss a few interesting proposals to address capitalism's systemic problems, AND plan the first EVER Corporate Gossip Cruise / Davos for the rest of us.  Don't forget to rate and review this podcast!  We're on Youtube Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps:  10:00 You Better Work Betch: Full employment guarantee  20:00 Go back in time and destroy Reagan!  31:00 YOU can get a house without waiting for your parents to unalive 42:00 A cult classic: The Four Day Work Week!  Links:  Nathan Macintosh: Money Never Wakes  National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (Aka the Works Progress Administration) The Accountable Capitalism Act of 2018 Investment Firms Aren't Buying All the Houses. But They Are Buying the Most Important Ones Opinion: Bernie Sanders is right about capitalism

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2023

Join Becca and Adam on a journey that starts in in a smoky Texas hotel lobby in 1967. We'll pass trough a decomposing sportatorium off the Dallas freeway in 1992 and end at a contentious company sponsored JoJo concert in 2022. Once a shining star in the skies over the Texas Plains, Southwest experienced a slow and then sudden descent after the departure of it's distinctive founder. Executive would try to repair the damage, but for many it was "Too Little, Too Late." Don't forget to rate and review this podcast!  We're on Youtube Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list  Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)  Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Links:  Video of the Malice in Dallas Southwest Airlines Engine Explodes in Flight, Killing a Passenger Column: The guilty parties evading blame for the Southwest meltdown are its board members Southwest store  Southwest Airlines Faces Tough Questions From Senators Video of Pilots walking out of the Southwest Employee Rally

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2023