A surprising announcement rippled through Silicon Valley in the Spring of 2017. A mysterious ‘flying car’ venture took the spotlight, fueled by rumors of Google co-founder Larry Page’s involvement. A marvel of engineering, this all-electric innovation promised to reduce traffic congestion and open the skies for dreamers—a moonshot that captivated engineers, futurists, and tech enthusiasts. But over time, that moonshot started to look more like a longshot. With Page’s financial backing and abundant resources, how could this project have possibly failed?
Hear the full story on episode 62 of The Great Fail. Special thanks for Hugh Langley for his contributions to this episode. Shoutout to Adweek and Acast.
Episode Resources
A brief history of Quiznos’ collapse
The Real Reason Why Quiznos Is Disappearing Across The Country
The Quiznos Story: From Huge Success To Huge Bust
WHAT HAPPENED TO QUIZNOS SUBS?
Denver-based Quiznos hit by new lawsuits from disgruntled franchisees
Three Factors That Led to Quiznos’ Epic Decline
QUIZNOS: Biggest Collapse in Restaurant History?
Quiznos terminates franchisees on heels of suicide
Fast Food’s Most Unhinged Mascots Are Back
Death of a toasted sandwich salesman
How Quiznos Failed Itself By Failing Its Franchisees
Quiznos Bankruptcy May Have Roots in Long Beach Franchisee’s Suicide
Special Guest
Jonathan Maze
Editor In Chief at Restaurant Business Magazine
Jonathan Maze is a seasoned journalist and currently the executive editor at Restaurant Business Magazine. He covers finance and franchising and tracks restaurant sales and performance with an eye on industry stocks. He writes the blog The Bottom Line, and also produces the podcast A Deeper Dive. He is a regular guest in a conference call series held by Citi Investment Research and has been quoted in several publications, including the Orlando Sentinel, Yahoo! Finance, Denver Post, New York Post and the Dallas Morning News.
