Corporate Gossip

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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)

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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*

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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.

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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)

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

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 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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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.

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) 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

It's a bank run, dummies! The SVB collapse is true corporate gossip catnip, and we couldn't resist bringing you this ~very special~ episode about the biggest corporate shitshow of the year (so far). Aaron Cohn, business professor and scorned ex-lover of venture capital, joins Becca to recap the bank's meltdown and subsiquent VC temper tantrum. Aaron is fresh off the plane from SXSW and ready to spill all the tea on venture capital. It's a little bit cringe, a little bit spooky, but mostly a good reminder to never trust a billionare and that NOTHING MATTERS ANYMORE :) 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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Links: The Incredible Tantrum Venture Capitalists Threw Over Silicon Valley Bank Silicon Valley Bank Fails After Run on Deposits EXCLUSIVE: Aloha suckers! Silicon Valley Bank's failed CEO Gregory Becker escapes to his $3.1million Hawaiian hideaway days after being fired, leaving the chaos of the collapse in the dust

Boeing is the quintessential american company. For decades it was the destination of choice for America's brightest minds in engineering. Pilots revered the institution, "if it aint Boeing, I'm not going," they'd often say. But by the turn of the century, Boeing's engineering supremacy was replaced with a relentless devotion to shareholder value. Passengers... you can kick rocks! Boeing execs have got a company to plunder in the name of shareholder value maximization!!! 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 ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 9:30 The airline deregulation act: L or W? Becca's take will SHOCK you! 16:30 Boeing catches shareholder value maximiziation-itis and Boeing fish starts to rot from the nose down 20:00 Boeing execs are giving big Dr. Evil energy 27:00 Capitalism Kills - the Boeing 737 Max Crashes 30:00 Boeing: "Shareholders are my main chick and the flying public is my sidepiece" 35:30 The FAA & Boeing are like the Abby Lee Dance Company and the Candy Apple Dancers 33:00 The aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes Spoiler alert - Boeing leadership = Dickless losers and a rare Ted Cruz W 49:30 If life couldn't get worse for the plane crash victims… here comes Tom Girrardi and all the other vultures 54:30 Latest updates on Boeing Links: Read Flying Blind: The 737 Max Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing Watch Flight / Risk on Amazon Report on Boeing 787 Dreamliner Battery Flaws Finds Lapses at Multiple Points Final report on Boeing 737 MAX crash sparks dispute over pilot error Boeing Reaches $200 Million Settlement With Regulators Over Its 737 Max Families of Boeing Crash Victims Can Challenge U.S. Settlement, Judge Rules Whistle-blower settles case (Gary Eastman) House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure members The Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation members

Don't forget to rate and review this podcast!! Carlos Watson has it all: an Ivy League pedigree, an electric personality, and a media empire called "Ozy." There's only one problem… Watson is a prolific bullshit artist. When he and his co-founder are caught catfishing Goldman Sachs executives, his empire begins to crumble and his throne of lies is exposed. The Ozy story is truly wild and includes feuds with Sharon Osbourne, a Fyre Fest knockoff, and millennial-era side bangs! We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Vignette edited by: Becky Nanns Beckysaysitall.com Timestamps: 03:33 - Ozy Media background and Becca's side bang regret 10:15 - Ozy becomes the most popular website of all time!! More readers than the Bible!!! 15:40 - Carlos Watson's catfish practice with A&E 24:15 - The Ozy Media Fyre Fest that almost was 31:25 - Don't F* with Sharon Osbourne 33:54 - Carlos Watson: World's Best Boss 38:00 - Carlos & Samir catfish Goldman Sachs & the Ozy downfall 44:35 - Ozy 2.0: The Return of the Carlosfish 50:50 - Takeaways Links: Goldman Sachs, Ozy Media and a $40 Million Conference Call Gone Wrong Ozy Built a TV Show on a False Claim, Says Its Former Producer How Ozy Fest Was About To Become The Next Fyre Festival — Until A Heat Wave (And Insurance Claim) Bailed Them Out 18-hour days and panic attacks: Former Ozy staffers allege an abusive environment

Don't forget to rate and review this podcast!! Under Armour is what happens when a group of perpetually rowdy frat bros is at the helm of a multi-billion dollar company. Starting with a single sewing machine in his grandma's basement, Ken Plank grew the UA brand to market dominance over two decades, and then oversaw its demise over two years. This story has it all: A+ list athletes, strip club scandals, Twitter PR disasters, adulterous adventures on a private jet, and Becca's favorite: light accounting fraud! We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Vignette written by: Becky Nanns Beckysaysitall.com Timestamps: 06:16 - Kevin Plank creates the first moisture-wicking athletic T-shirt and founds Under Armour from his Grandma's basement. The company, with the help of lucrative movie cameos and athletic partnerships, is valued at $157m by 2005 and grows to $17B 10 years later. 15:34 - Under Armour produces a series of uggo shoes that are blasted on Twitter. 20:02 - As Plank becomes increasingly distracted with his side hustles, UA sales slump. The UA team employ a series of questionable accounting practices to hide the truth, and their actions result in a $9m class-action shareholder lawsuit. 27:00 - HR revokes one of the c-suite's favorite perks: free strip clubs. After that, it's one buzzkill after another for UA executives. 35:00 - Turns out the culture at the top of Under Armour wasn't exactly... conducive to not being a huge dirtbag. 43:15 - Has your boss ever brought his paramour - sorry - "strategic advisor" to a business meeting? If so, you might be working for Ken Plank!! 49:00 - Where does UA stand today? Links: Steph Curry's new Under Armour sneakers lit Twitter on fire with Dad jokes, memes Under Pressure at Under Armour, CEO Says His Eye Is on the Ball Under Armour founder sold $138 million in stock during time period company allegedly misled investors about slowing sales Under Armour's #MeToo Moment: No More Strip Clubs on Company Dime Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank 'was allegedly having an affair with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle and sought her advice over that of his board while flying her around on private jet'

Hi, Hi, Hiya! The Disney Drama continues as Michael Eisner hires his Hollywood buddy, super-agent Michel Ovitz, as president of the company. 434 days later he's fired and a contentious lawsuit brings the executive suite to court where Eisner alleges that Ovitz was acting like a jerk at his Mom's funeral (seriously... you can't make this stuff up). We then meet up with Bob Iger in 2022 as he's relentlessly trash talking Bob Chapeck over lunches in LA. Ultimately, a fairy grants him his wish and he's returned to the throne at Disney HQ. Will King Bob I be the hero Disney needs? Find out on this episode of Corporate Gossip! P.S. We make a lot of Heavyweights references in this episode. You can watch it on most streaming platforms. We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 01:13 Michael Ovitz, hollywood honcho, becomes president of Walt Disney for 434 days 06:40 Bob Iger (aka Tony Perkis) takes over summer camp. Attention campers. Lunch has been canceled due to lack of hustle. Deal with it. 11:45 Bob Iger hastily departs Disney seconds before Covid hits the states and puts Bob Chapek at the helm for less than two years. After trash talking his successor for months, Bob Iger returns! Time to wake up, campers! Today is evaluation day. The key word here is 'value.' Do you have any? Not yet! But before summer's over, this camp's gonna be filled with skinny winners! 15:00 What's next for Iger & Disney. If the main players in this story were characters in Heavyweights, who would they be? Links: Ovitz and Eisner: A Kids' Story Disney's Robert Iger Loomed Over Bob Chapek After Ceding CEO Role, Creating Tensions The Ride Of A Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger Remember to Rate and Review this podcast!

The drama in the C-suite at Disney's HQ in Burbank makes the Real Housewives of Orange County look like an episode of Mickey Mouse's clubhouse. Each CEO transition is messier than the next as these execs wrestle for the top spot in Cinderella's castle. This is part 1 of a 2 part episode. We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 03:47 Bob Chapeks sudden and surprise departure in November of 2022 08:40 Bob Igers complicated and codepedent relationship with Disney 17:00 Disney's price hikes makes vacation for the average family out of reach 22:05 Abigail Disney debuts a scathing documentary on Disney's employee experience 32:13 3 grown men getting in a fight for the top role at Disney that will ultimately cost the company half a billion dollars 37:00 Disney's epically bad theme park that almost was Links discussed: Inside Bob Iger's return to Disney: A senior executive's outreach to the former chief followed months of complaints to the board about CEO Bob Chapek 'Prison food': Disney fans slam skimpy, overpriced, 'disgusting' grub at theme parks Abigail Disney turns critical lens on her family's company in new doc Ovitz and Eisner: A Kids' Story A Deep Dive Into the Bloody Battle for 'Disney's America', the Theme Park That Never Was Images from Bob Iger's book, The Ride of a Lifetime Send us a message [email protected]

No it's not an episode of succession, but it feels like one. This story has billionaires, nepotism, betrayal, criminal accusations, and COUPONS! We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 01:00 - Background 04:12 - BBBY CEO Steve Tamaras stupidly overpaid 08:00 - Activist investors kick out the CEO 14:15 - Nepotism!! 19:50 - Activist investors kick out ANOTHER CEO 26:50 - BBBY as a meme stock and r/wallstreetbets 40:50 - SEC investigations, death of BBBY CFO 44:50 - Takeaways Thank you for listening!! Please send me an email [email protected]

Activist investors take a stake in Peloton and dunk on John Foley via powerpoint deck as loyal riders hang up their shoes and get back outside. We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike

Has Peloton spun off the track? How did this coveted brand crash and burn? And why didn't founder John Foley hit the breaks? In this two part episode, we follow the rise of this pandemic-era darling and identify how the wheels started to wobble. We're on Youtube!! Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Tiktok: @corporategossippod Hosts: Becca Platsky ([email protected]) Adam Platsky ([email protected]) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike