The billionaire backlash (Encore Edition)
Cost of Living

The billionaire backlash (Encore Edition)

B2Upper-intermediateJuly 10, 202626 min
  • Business & money

Today's tech billionaires are rich in a way the world has never seen, and they're not shy about flaunting the power that comes with it. It has some people asking: "Should there even be billionaires?" Plus, we ask if braces are the new midlife motorcycle and explore the long, and sometimes hilarious, history of corporate blunders.

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Sentence 12 of 12 · 1:39

So why do these companies blow it so often?

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B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 41%A2 38%B1 17%B2 4%C1 0%
  • 96% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 152 words a minute: a natural pace.
  • 116 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

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0:38

Sometimes a company comes up with something and knocks it out of the park. Like the iPhone. Steve Jobs definitely earned his money on that one. Other times.

0:48

Well, the freedom to not make any money. Who thought that was a good idea? Hi, I'm Paul Avertrude, and this is an encore edition of The Cost of Living. Corporate executives get paid millions to make the right calls.

1:24

But then they come up with stuff like Harley-Davidson aftershave. Or an airline tries to jam even more seats into economy. So why do these companies blow it so often? Also today, if you had braces as a kid, it's maybe not your favorite memory.

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