Author

TheBigCollapse

@thebigcollapse

articles: 29
total claps: 216
top claps: 50
avg read: 4.4 min
active: 2024-11-21 → 2026-06-15

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👗 · Fashion · 7 CRY · Crypto & Web3 · 5 STP · Startups & Venture · 5 ECO · Economy · General · 4 RAG · RAG & Retrieval · 3 ✈️ · Travel · 3 CUL · Culture & Media · 2 HIS · History · 2

Top tags

#the-big-collapse ·26 #corporate-scandal ·3 #startup-failure ·2 #tech-history ·2 #success ·2 #fisker ·2 #electric-vehicles ·2 #automotive-industry ·2 #failed-startup ·2 #airlines ·2

MDA

TH TheBigCollapse

Atari: The Company That Built the Video Game Industry — Then Buried It in a Desert

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, one company didn’t just dominate video games — it was video games. Atari was the industry. Its home…

Mar 22, 2026 · 6 min read · 50 claps #the-big-collapse #atari #video-game-crash

Atari: The Company That Built the Video Game Industry — Then Buried It in a Desert

TCH MED

TH TheBigCollapse

Houseparty: The Spontaneous Video Chat App That Couldn’t Survive the Pandemic It Thrived In

Before the world learned to schedule “Zoom meetings,” a different kind of video chat app captured the zeitgeist: Houseparty. Launched in…

Dec 29, 2025 · 4 min read · 50 claps #the-big-collapse #house-party #video-chat

Houseparty: The Spontaneous Video Chat App That Couldn’t Survive the Pandemic It Thrived In

TH TheBigCollapse

Compaq: The Rise and Fall of a PC Pioneer

In the early days of personal computing, Compaq was a giant. Founded in 1982, Compaq quickly grew into one of the world’s largest and most…

Dec 13, 2024 · 3 min read · 46 claps #compaq #success #hp

Compaq: The Rise and Fall of a PC Pioneer

ECO ART SPT

TH TheBigCollapse

Sears: The Rise and Fall of America’s Retail Icon

For much of the 20th century, Sears was synonymous with American retail. It was the go-to destination for everything from clothing to home…

Nov 21, 2024 · 3 min read · 21 claps #sears #supermarkets #success

Sears: The Rise and Fall of America’s Retail Icon

ECO

TH TheBigCollapse

OneCoin: The $4 Billion “Crypto” Cult That Was Just a Ponzi Scheme in a Digital Disguise

In the frenzied early days of the cryptocurrency boom, while Bitcoin and Ethereum were building decentralized networks, a more glamorous…

Jan 14, 2026 · 4 min read · 17 claps #the-big-collapse #onecoin #crypto-scam

OneCoin: The $4 Billion “Crypto” Cult That Was Just a Ponzi Scheme in a Digital Disguise

HUM

TH TheBigCollapse

IKEA: The 17-Year-Old Farm Boy Who Built a Flat‑Pack Empire by Selling Matches

In 1943, a 17-year-old farm boy from the impoverished forests of Småland, Sweden, started a mail-order business.

May 05, 2026 · 6 min read · 15 claps #the-big-collapse #ikea #ingvar-kamprad

IKEA: The 17-Year-Old Farm Boy Who Built a Flat‑Pack Empire by Selling Matches

LIF ECO

TH TheBigCollapse

Casper: The Mattress Unicorn That Couldn’t Sleep Its Way to Profitability

In 2014, a startup set out to do what many thought impossible: disrupt the sleepy, traditional mattress industry. Casper didn’t just sell…

Feb 23, 2026 · 5 min read · 6 claps #the-big-collapse #casper #dtc

Casper: The Mattress Unicorn That Couldn’t Sleep Its Way to Profitability

ECO ART SPT

TH TheBigCollapse

TWA: From Glamour in the Skies to Grounded for Good

The story of a once-iconic airline that defined luxury air travel — and how it disappeared from the skies.

Jun 17, 2025 · 3 min read · 5 claps #twa #airlines #corporate-collapse

TWA: From Glamour in the Skies to Grounded for Good

TH TheBigCollapse

Toys.com: How a Toy Website Became a $5.1 Million Digital Disaster

The internet gold rush of the 2000s created strange legends. The rise and fall of Toys.com is one of the most bizarre.

Jun 20, 2025 · 2 min read · 5 claps #digital-failure #domainwars #toý

Toys.com: How a Toy Website Became a $5.1 Million Digital Disaster

SPR

TH TheBigCollapse

Tencent: The ICQ Clone That Became WeChat — and Ate China’s Digital Soul

In 1998, a young Chinese engineer named Ma Huateng (known as “Pony”) had a problem. He was broke. He had no business plan. He had no…

Jun 15, 2026 · 6 min read · 1 claps #the-big-collapse #tencent #wechat

Tencent: The ICQ Clone That Became WeChat — and Ate China’s Digital Soul

HUM

TH TheBigCollapse

Google: The Student Project That Became a Verb

In 1996, two Stanford Ph.D. students had an audacious idea: they believed they could build a better search engine by analyzing the…

Apr 16, 2026 · 11 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #google #larry-page

Google: The Student Project That Became a Verb

ART

TH TheBigCollapse

Enron: The $64 Billion Architecture of Deception That Destroyed an Icon

In the year 2000, Enron was the seventh-largest company in America, a titan with $111 billion in revenue and a stock price that had soared…

Mar 19, 2026 · 7 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #enron #corporate-scandal

Enron: The $64 Billion Architecture of Deception That Destroyed an Icon

HUM ART

TH TheBigCollapse

Topshop: The £2 Billion Fashion Empire That Lost Its Cool

For over three decades, Topshop was not just a clothing retailer; it was a cultural institution. Its flagship store on London’s Oxford…

Mar 31, 2026 · 7 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #topshop #sir-philip-green

Topshop: The £2 Billion Fashion Empire That Lost Its Cool

MKT AI

TH TheBigCollapse

Salesforce: “No Software” — How One Slogan Created a $300 Billion Industry

In 1999, a 34-year-old Oracle executive named Marc Benioff had a radical idea. He believed that software should not be installed…

May 14, 2026 · 6 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #salesforce #marc-benioff

Salesforce: “No Software” — How One Slogan Created a $300 Billion Industry

HUM ART

TH TheBigCollapse

Barneys New York: The $1 Billion Palace of Cool That Rent Killed

For nearly a century, Barneys New York wasn’t just a department store; it was a cultural institution. It was the place that introduced…

Mar 04, 2026 · 6 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #barneys-new-york #luxury-retail

Barneys New York: The $1 Billion Palace of Cool That Rent Killed

AI ECO SOC

TH TheBigCollapse

Fisker Automotive: The $2 Billion Electric Car Dream That Burned Out Twice

In the world of electric vehicles, few names carry as much design pedigree — or as much tragic baggage — as Fisker. Founded by legendary…

Feb 17, 2026 · 6 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #fisker #electric-vehicles

Fisker Automotive: The $2 Billion Electric Car Dream That Burned Out Twice

DSN AI

TH TheBigCollapse

Adobe: From a Guy’s Garage to the Monopoly That Charges You Monthly to Breathe

I have a confession.

May 26, 2026 · 5 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #adobe #creative-cloud

Adobe: From a Guy’s Garage to the Monopoly That Charges You Monthly to Breathe

ECO

TH TheBigCollapse

Mt. Gox: The Colossal Collapse That Almost Killed Bitcoin

In the wild west days of cryptocurrency, one exchange was the undisputed king: Mt. Gox. At its peak, it handled over 70% of all global…

Nov 05, 2025 · 3 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #mtgox #bitcoin

Mt. Gox: The Colossal Collapse That Almost Killed Bitcoin

TH TheBigCollapse

Crazy Eddie: The Electronics Store Whose Prices Were Insane — And Whose Fraud Was Even Crazier

In the cutthroat world of New York City electronics retail in the 1970s and 80s, one name screamed louder than all others: Crazy Eddie…

Dec 05, 2025 · 3 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #crazy-eddie #retail-fraud

Crazy Eddie: The Electronics Store Whose Prices Were Insane — And Whose Fraud Was Even Crazier

ECO

TH TheBigCollapse

FTX: The $32 Billion House of Cards and the Unmasking of Sam Bankman-Fried

In the chaotic world of cryptocurrency, FTX was supposed to be the adult in the room. It was the regulated, sophisticated, and trustworthy…

Nov 17, 2025 · 3 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #ftx #sam-bankman-fried

FTX: The $32 Billion House of Cards and the Unmasking of Sam Bankman-Fried

TH TheBigCollapse

Ofo & Mobike: The Bike-Sharing Bubble That Burst and Buried Cities in Bicycles

In the mid-2010s, Chinese cities were suddenly awash in color. Millions of bright yellow Ofo and orange Mobike bicycles appeared on every…

Jan 26, 2026 · 3 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #ofo #mobike

Ofo & Mobike: The Bike-Sharing Bubble That Burst and Buried Cities in Bicycles

ECO SOC

TH TheBigCollapse

Segway: The $100,000 Idea That Tripped Over Reality

Before its launch in 2001, the hype was unprecedented. Tech legend Steve Jobs said it would be “as big a deal as the PC.” VC John Doerr…

Feb 05, 2026 · 3 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #segway #dean-kamen

Segway: The $100,000 Idea That Tripped Over Reality

ECO ART

TH TheBigCollapse

From Millions to Nothing: Lottery Winners Who Lost It All

Winning the lottery is often seen as a dream come true — instant wealth, financial freedom, and a life of luxury. But for many, it quickly…

Mar 22, 2025 · 3 min read · 0 claps #the-big-collapse #lottery-winners #financial-ruin

From Millions to Nothing: Lottery Winners Who Lost It All

ECO ART

TH TheBigCollapse

Fisker Automotive: The Rise and Fall of an Electric Dream

Fisker Automotive was once heralded as the future of sustainable luxury, with its sleek designs and ambitious vision of an eco-friendly…

Jan 22, 2025 · 3 min read · 0 claps #fisker #electric-vehicles #automotive-industry

Fisker Automotive: The Rise and Fall of an Electric Dream

SPT ART SOC AI

TH TheBigCollapse

Saab: The Rise and Fall of Sweden’s Iconic Automaker

For decades, Saab was synonymous with innovation, safety, and Scandinavian design. However, despite a devoted fanbase and groundbreaking…

Jan 20, 2025 · 3 min read · 0 claps #saab #automotive-industry #brand-failures