22 Best Business Failure Podcasts to Listen to (2026)

Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world's youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How did the woman once heralded as 'the next Steve Jobs' find herself facing criminal charges - to which she pleaded not guilty - and up to decades in prison? How did her technology, meant to revolutionize health care, potentially put millions of patients at risk? And how did so many smart people get it so wrong along the way? ABC News chief business, technology and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, along with producers Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson, take listeners on a journey that includes a multi-year investigation. You'll hear exclusive interviews with former employees, investors, and patients, and for the first-time, the never-before-aired deposition testimony of Elizabeth Holmes, and those at the center of this story. Then, go inside the courtroom as 12 jurors decide the fate of the Theranos founder; three years after she was first charged, we find out how this saga finally ends.Subscribe to 20/20 True Crime+ for ad-free listening, early access to new series, exclusive bonus content, and hundreds of episodes from the 20/20 true crime vault. Visit https://apple.co/2020truecrime to subscribe now. more

The founders of WeWork thought they were on the brink of making history. The company was valued at $47 billion dollars, ready for a huge IPO, and its charismatic CEO Adam Neumann believed he was going to change the world. Adam and his wife Rebekah had a prophet-like vision—but did it ever match the company's reality? Now the inspiration for a new AppleTV+ series starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway, WeCrashed: The Director's Cut is a complete refresh of our original six-part series. Hosted by David Brown of the hit podcast Business Wars, this six-part series includes new interviews and new discoveries about the rise and fall of WeWork. It's a story of hope and hubris, big money and bigger screwups, and the lengths people will go to chase 'unicorns'. Watch the Apple Original series WeCrashed , starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. Now streaming only on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/-WeCrashed Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of WeCrashed ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. more

On each episode of RIP Corp, we tell the story of one failed business, or a business failure. Join us in the dead mall of business history.RIP Corp is a Charts & Leisure production, written and hosted by Ingrid Burrington. Produced by Meghal Janardan and Mike Rugnetta. Associate producer, Taylor Behnke. Original music and sound design from Andrew Atkin and Michael Simonelli. Fact-checking from Matt Giles. Logo design by Beatriz Lozano and illustrations by Megan Mulholland. Executive produced by Jason Oberholtzer. more

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. more

Corporate crookedness. Family feuding. Hilariously half-baked decisions. Host Lauren Ober tackles some of the most spectacular business failures of all time, and what could have been done to avoid them. Some of these stories are shocking. Some are funny. Some are just downright sad. But each one will give you a totally new perspective on big business… and big failure. From American Public Media. more

She was once the world's youngest self-made female billionaire. Now Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos, stands accused of leading a massive fraud, and lying to investors, doctors, and patients about the capabilities of her technology. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison. But Elizabeth may be able to sway a jury with her charisma, highly unusual defense strategy and the fact that key evidence has gone missing. John Carreyrou broke the Theranos scandal. Now he'll take you into the courtroom as he examines Silicon Valley's fake it-til-you-make it culture, and the case against Holmes. more

Bad Bets unravels big-business dramas that have had a big impact on our world. In Season 2, we delve into the story of Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who promised a future of zero-emission trucks but was taken down by a ragtag bunch of whistleblowers and short sellers. Season 2 is hosted by Ben Foldy. more

Behind every successful business is a story. It starts with a vision and a leap of faith. Along the way, leaders make bold decisions, ride booms and busts, and sometimes, they reach new heights. From Wondery, the makers of the hit series Business Wars , and Lindsay Graham, the host of American History Tellers and American Scandal , comes a weekly podcast that brings you the true stories of the brilliant but all-too-human businesspeople who risked it all. From Walt Disney's creation of a theme park in Orlando, to the colossal failure of New Coke, Business Movers will explore the triumphs, failures and ideas that transformed our lives. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Business Movers ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. more

Fyre Fest goes up in flames, Madame Web is panned, the hot new crypto coin crashes. Who doesn't love a good flop? From Silicon Valley scandals to Hollywood meltdowns - every epic fail has a story worth telling. Join TikTok superstar Misha Brown on Wondery's The Big Flop as we unpack history's most fascinating flops, frauds, and fiascos. Whether it's Tom Cruise's couch-jumping or Taylor Swift in Cats, we're dissecting the moments when ambition, ego, and poor decisions collide. Each week, Misha and hilarious guests break down these spectacular crashes and try to answer the burning question: Who thought THIS was a good idea? Because on The Big Flop , the best stories are always about the worst ideas. New episodes come out every week. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Big Flop ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. more

Foundering is an award-winning, serialized podcast from the journalists at Bloomberg Technology. Each season, Foundering brings you inside a different high-stakes drama from the technology industry, where its companies are wielding unprecedented capital and power. more

The Great Fail is a true crime inspired, business podcast that examines the greatest success stories of the most prominent and prolific companies, brands, and people and what led to their demise. If you love true crime and stories of massive failures, you've come to the right place! Here we take a forensic look at stories that will irk you, shock you, and have you picking your jaw up off the floor, all while learning the oftentimes avoidable, mistakes that have ended the lives of companies and left boardrooms looking like crime scenes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

Learn through the jaw dropping stories of the biggest business mistakes and lessons from the most successful Entrepreneurs. Bypass the glitz and glam highlight reel and get the real messy truths of what it actually takes to grow a business. Welcome to the Big Business Mistakes podcast hosted by Brandon & Kaelin Poulin. Your hosts, Brandon & Kaelin Poulin, bootstrapped their most recent company LadyBoss to over $200 Million in revenues before selling the brand at 29 & 32 years old. Brandon & Kaelin are now the Founders and Managing Partners of Enterprise CEO: The Entrepreneur's Advisory and Investment Group, changing the way founder-led companies scale. They guide and equip founder led companies to scale and operate as enterprise businesses resulting in strong teams, leveraged time, amplified reach, and multiplied profits. more

A podcast about innovation and failure, mostly in business. Visit us at https://innovationblab.com.

Have you ever wondered why some businesses go broke and others are successful? Have you ever wondered why some leaders rise to the top in difficult situations?For 40 years I was a corporate undertaker. I buried businesses that failed and helped save those where there was still a pulse.I was parachuted into some of corporate Australia's biggest financial crisis, insolvencies and turnaround environments. I have been in Board rooms, Court rooms and on shop floors when all seems lost (and sometimes it was).Over decades at the coal face of business (often in the most difficult circumstances), I have seen & heard stories that delighted and inspired me, as well as those which serve as a guide of the path not to take.I also spent years in leadership roles at Ferrier Hodgson and KPMG Australia where I sat on the Board and was the National Consumer and Retail leader.The purpose of What I learned about Business (that didn't kill me!) is to share the stories behind some of the world's most interesting business situations, how they unfolded, how my guests dealt with them, and how those experiences changed them and the way they do business.I hope that my podcast entertains and engages listeners who want to know more about the worlds great business leaders and the lessons that didn't kill them……. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

In this new podcast series, I am joined by Mikhail Reider-Gordon, Managing Director of Institutional Ethics & Integrity at Affiliated Monitors. Over this series will take a deep dive into the most prominent accounting scandal and business failure in Germany since World War II, the Wirecard scandal. In this podcast series, we look at the main characters, the fraud they engaged in and how they did it, the professional services firms which facilitated the rise and fall of Wirecard and the wholesale failure of the German regulatory regime to reign in Wirecard. As Bette Davis said, 'Put on your seat belt.' more

The podcast that discusses the dilemmas, mishaps, mistakes and failings of business leaders with your hosts, Megan Grace and Rob Spence. Every business owner, leader, entrepreneur and professional makes mistakes; we are all human after all! In this podcast, we take a fun outlook on the failures of these people with one main intention... ...that you do not make the same mistakes! Diving deep into the lives, minds, and pasts of these people, with some laughter and humour along the way! PS - be sure to follow us on socials to stay up to date with all the latest episodes and goings-on! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

'A Case Study in Corporate Fear' deconstructs how fear transforms successful companies into corporate casualties. Each episode forensically examines a different business failure, revealing how fear infiltrates decision-making and sabotages success. From Kodak's digital denial to Blockbuster's streaming stumble, we analyze the patterns of fear that destroy companies and careers. Join host Taras Wayner as we turn fear into your greatest teacher, helping you recognize and overcome the paralysis of professional fear. Whether you're a CEO or a rising professional, this podcast delivers actionable insights to help you lead with courage and learn how others failed so you never do. Visit fear-incorporated.com for additional resources and training opportunities. more

Are you an entrepreneur building a technology company and looking to grow fast? This show teaches and inspires entrepreneurs to build better companies by learning from the failures of other tech companies and entrepreneurs. If you're striving for rapid growth while avoiding the mistakes that have led others to failure, this podcast is designed to help you stay on track. Avoid the devastating mistakes that tech entrepreneurs have made, which led their businesses to collapse. Hear from tech, business, and entrepreneurial experts detailing what went wrong in famous tech busts and modern-day meltdowns so you don't follow the same path. Learn how to overcome adversity and make your tech company a long-term success. If you're ready to grow your tech venture quickly and avoid pitfalls, start with our fan-favorite episode: Don't Fall In Love With Your Technology. more

Successful CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs are unanimous on one thing - there is no success without failure. Failure is to be embraced as it teaches us much more than success ever can. The Anti-Failure Podcast shares the stories of Australian small businesses and the people behind them, who have faced and embraced failure in order to succeed. Enduring not only despite failure, but because of it. We will unpack the tools, tactics and traits that helped them to emerge victorious, paving the way for other Aussie small businesses. more

In a world obsessed with the next big thing we look at the other side of business stories.While success is loud, failure is where the real wisdom lies.Every week, we peel back the curtain on the Indian startup ecosystem to uncover stories of companies that once soared, only to come crashing down. From disruptors that once dominated headlines to heavily funded favorites that vanished overnight, we explore the bad bets, boardroom battles and brutal reality of growth in India.Presenting… The Flop Side🎙️Where we show you, the flip side of flop startups.New episode out every Friday, 5pm IST more

'failing' is a normal part of building, especially when you're at the frontier of great innovation. so i sit down with founders and investors and get into the messy version of their story: the pivots, the near-misses, mistakes and everything usually edited out. and i break down jargon and deep dives into the things nobody explains properly. more

Failure is a part of life and business, and I experienced the failure of a business in 2015 that my father had started in 1969. The effect it had on me emotionally was huge, yet the outside world knew nothing. I kept it to myself. I learnt so much from that failure, and it made me determined to support other business owners in the construction industry to avoid failure and flourish. As I started to speak to business owners about failure, I learnt just how many had suffered from mental health issues and harmful thoughts. This drove me to start my podcast to educate and let people know how to avoid failure and know if they are going through failure, they are not alone, but more importantly, there is life and success after the failure of your business.  more