A Case Study In Corporate Fear
A Case Study in Corporate Fear is a business podcast that dissects how fear drives once-successful companies into decline. Each episode examines a specific corporate failure, from Kodak's refusal to embrace digital photography to Blockbuster's missed streaming opportunity, and traces the fear-based decisions behind the collapse. Host Taras Wayner explores the patterns of fear that sabotage strategy, careers and leadership, turning those cautionary tales into practical lessons. Aimed at executives and ambitious professionals, the show offers actionable insights for leading with courage instead of paralysis.
Episodes
BOEING – When Fear Took Flight
Send us Fan MailHow did Boeing transform from an engineering powerhouse willing to bet the company on revolutionary aircraft into one where engineers feared speaking up about safety concerns? This episode examines the 25-year cultural shift following the McDonnell Douglas merger that led to the 737 MAX crashes, killing 346 people. From Bill Allen's audacious 707 and 747 programs to the geogra
How Jaguar Finally Outran Fear
Send us Fan MailWhile many have called Jaguar's rebrand "the worst marketing decision they'd ever seen" and declared it "brand suicide," it just may be Jaguar's bravest business decision in decades.In this episode of "A Case Study in Corporate Fear," host Taras Wayner examines how a brand that once epitomized independence became trapped in automotive pu
NEW COKE – When The Fizz Goes Flat
Send us Fan MailAfter 99 years of guarding their secret formula, Coca-Cola made the boldest move in consumer goods history. When Pepsi's taste tests revealed that consumers preferred their sweeter formula 57% of the time, Coca-Cola panicked and took the unthinkable step – they altered their sacred recipe.In this episode of "A Case Study in Corporate Fear," host Taras Wayner examines
ATARI – Game Over
Send us Fan MailHow did Atari go from a $250 startup to controlling 80% of the video game market, only to collapse in one of corporate history's most spectacular failures? In this episode of "A Case Study in Corporate Fear," host Taras Wayner explores the company that invented the modern gaming industry – and how paralyzing fear destroyed it all.Journey back to 1972 Sunnyvale, where
TOWER RECORDS – It's The End Of The World As We Know It.
Send us Fan MailTower Records was more than a store – it was a cultural phenomenon. With $1.1 billion in annual revenue at its peak, 200+ locations across 18 countries, and music experts who could trace the lineage from The Ramones to The Strokes, Tower Records was the mecca for music lovers worldwide. Elton John shopped there religiously, Prince launched albums there, and their "No Music, No
YAHOO! And Why We No Longer YAHOO!
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we examine the rise and fall of internet pioneer Yahoo through the lens of Brad Garlinghouse's explosive internal memo, which would become known as the "Peanut Butter Manifesto." From Yahoo's origins as "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" to its peak valuation of $125 billion, and finally to its sale to Verizon for jus
Blackberry - The Tyranny of Success
Send us Fan MailHow did BlackBerry – the company that revolutionized mobile communication with always-on email and iconic keyboards – collapse from 50% market share to irrelevance in a decade? In this episode, I examine how fear transformed smart executives into prisoners of their past success, rendering them unable to evolve even as customers lined up for iPhones.Timeline:· 1999: Research I
SONY Walkman and The Day The Music Died
Send us Fan MailHow did Sony—the company that revolutionized portable music with the Walkman—lose its market dominance to Apple, a computer company with no prior experience in the music industry? In this episode, I examine how fear transformed Sony's innovative culture into siloed kingdoms that sabotaged their own digital music future.Timeline:· 1979: Sony launches the Walkman, selling
BLOCKBUSTER – Brought to you by Fear
Send us Fan MailThis episode of "A Case Study in Fear" examines how Blockbuster became a victim of its own market dominance. Host Taras Wayner investigates how the video rental giant went from revolutionizing home entertainment with 9,000 stores worldwide to filing for bankruptcy, all because of one powerful emotion: fear.Discover how Blockbuster executives laughed Netflix's Reed Ha
KODAK – Brought to you by Fear
Send us Fan Mail"A Case Study in Fear" uncovers how Kodak became a casualty of its own success. Host Taras Wayner explores how the photography giant went from democratizing photography to filing for bankruptcy, all because of one powerful emotion: fear. Discover how Kodak's executives buried their own revolutionary invention (the digital camera), denied the digital revolution, and c
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