Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live. Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, innovators, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Against the Odds and American History Tellers.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Wars ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

Business Wars

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.


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Warby Parker vs Luxottica | A Modern Lens | 3

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.


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Warby Parker vs Luxottica | Getting Vertical | 2

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.


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Warby Parker vs Luxottica | The Empire of Eyes | 1

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. 


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GoPro: The Billion Dollar Wipeout | Crash Landing | 2

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.  


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GoPro: The Billion Dollar Wipeout | Think it. See It. Do it. Boom. | 1

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 Taylor


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Universal vs Disney: The Battle for Orlando | Epic Rivalry | 4

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?


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Universal vs. Disney: The Battle for Orlando | An IP for an IP | 3

AI: A NEW KIND OF BEING is a six-part series from This Is Actually Happening, sharing the stories of people whose lives have been forever changed by artificial intelligence. You'll hear intimate, first-person accounts from every side of this new frontier. A man who fell in love with his AI and married her. A woman who was betrayed by it. A man who has been recruited by his chatbot to change the world, and an AI that has its own story to share. These are stories about what it means to be human at the razor’s edge where the line between human and machine begins to blur.
These are riveting stories that will stick with you long after you listen, exploring the question: what happens when everything changes?
To listen to AI: A NEW KIND OF BEING, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING wherever you get your podcasts. Audible Subscribers, can listen to THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING early and ad-free right now on Audible. Download the Audible app today.
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Listen Now: AI A New Kind of Being

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?


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Universal vs. Disney: The Battle for Orlando | The Park That Lived | 2

Just in time for America’s 250th birthday, follow Dan Taberski (Hysterical, 9/12, Missing Richard Simmons) as he sets off on his most complicated quest yet: to reclaim the manifesto and write his own. Dan attempts to rescue the manifesto as a form from the sweaty clutches of cynical politicians and mass shooters and return it to its rightful place: with the artists, the warriors, the visionaries, and the mildly crazy regular folks with something to say, the passion to say it, and the courage to do something about it. 
From Audible Originals and Please & Thanks Productions, this 6-part series explores the power of the manifesto and asks: Can we get inspired again… and can we do it without a bullet?
Listen to Dan Taberski's Manifesto wherever you get your podcasts. Or binge all episodes of Manifesto ad-free right now on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible App or on Apple Podcasts.
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