

Corporate Gossip
Nitetoast media
Business news for gossip lovers. From boardroom shakeups to c-suite scandals, the Corporate gossip podcast brings you all the Wall Street tea. CPA scorned Becca Platsky and her brother, data analytics playboy Adam Platsky are your hosts.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 14, 2024 • 1h 24min
Ain't no party like an Insys party
Insys was the startup unicorn of the opioid crisis, and boy did they know how to party. Becca & Adam meet Insys CEO John Kapoor and his rowdy band of crooked pharmaceutical reps as they slither their way through doctors offices across the country, pushing their marquee product: Fentanyl! The shady sales reps unleashed the powerful opioid on unsuspecting patients and bribed their doctors to increase dosages through an illegal kickback scheme. Eventually their shameless conspiracies and criminal shakedowns lead to a public meltdown and federal racketeering charges, but not before Kapoor could be crowned Forbes coverboy! CW: Drug abuse Links: Pictures on our Substack The Pain Hustlers - NYT Expose Read Pain Hustlers - the book An Opioid Spray Showered Billionaire John Kapoor In Riches. Now He's Feeling The Pain A potent painkiller, and the drug maker's marketing, are faulted in a woman's death Pharmaceutical Executive John Kapoor Sentenced To 66 Months In Prison In Opioid Trial Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash

Jun 12, 2024 • 45min
BONUS: Interview with Ringmaster author Josie Riesman
IT'S A BONUS EPISODE, BROTHER! Becca and Adam talk with the author of Ringmaster, Josie Riesman Read Ringmaster by Josie Riesman Follow Josie on Instagram, her website josie.zone, or the book website Josie's article mentioned in the interview: Wrestling turned me cis, then it turned me trans

Jun 7, 2024 • 1h 26min
WWE & Vince McMahon: Worm with a Mustache
Welcome back brother!! Season 4 is here and ready to SMACKDOWN! WWE style. Binge ALL of Season 4 NOW on Patreon! We've seen this story before - a deeply traumatized child inherits their father's business and fills the void left by the adults that failed them with, what else… MONEY!!!! Rather than spend time examining his emotional shortcomings, Vince McMahon creates an alter ego, Mr. McMahon, to live out his darkest fantasies. But what happens when the CEO of a public company is also the greatest heel of all time? Find out as Becca and Adam step into the Hell in a Cell of the business of professional wrestling and battle through 60 years of the stinkiest secrets of World Wrestling Entertainment. CW: Drugs, Sexual Abuse Links: Support the podcast Pics in our Substack Read Ringmaster by Josie Riesman Now It Can Be Told: Those Pro Wrestlers Are Just Having Fun 2003 Vince McMahon on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Federal Prosecutors Investigate Vince McMahon Sex-Trafficking Allegations

Dec 8, 2023 • 51min
Season 3 Finale & Chobani's Anti-CEO
It's the Season 3 Finale! We answer listener questions and meet the Yogurt King of New York: Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulkaya. From nomadic Turkish farmer to millionaire milk mogul, Ulkaya became known as the Anti-CEO, prioritizing people over profit and creating one of the fastest growing food companies in America. Correction: We said the Chobani Idaho factory was in Idaho falls. It is actually in Twin Falls. Thanks to the listener who pointed that out! If you liked this season don't forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE PODCAST Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps & Links: 01:30 - Listener Questions How did you guys come up with this idea for the podcast? What's the best / juiciest piece of corporate gossip that didn't make the cut? Why are your seasons so short? I would pay for a subscription to get a weekly episode until the end of time! I'm a final year student in finance and I'm worried I have made a terrible mistake studying this degree, as it seems that corporations mostly cause more harm than [good], and benefits an elite few. is there any field you would recommend where I could use my degree for good? Is there a way that finance can be a force for good? Given the intricate web of corporate scandals involving entities like FTX, McKinsey, Koch Industries, SVB, etc. I'm curious to know: What common threads or distinct patterns have you observed across these cases, and how do these scandals reflect broader issues within the corporate landscape? Have there been any surprising twists or unique aspects in these stories that stand out to you guys, providing deeper insights into the world of corporate misconduct 18:00 - Chobani's Anti CEO Links: The Profile Dossier: Hamdi Ulukaya, the Shepherd-Turned-Billionaire CEO Chobani CEO says pulling IPO was one of the best decisions company has made Chobani hired hundreds of refugees at its plants. Average tenure now exceeds industry average Chobani's CEO is giving up to 10 percent of his company to employees Capitalism and Humanitarianism Can Coexist. Chobani's CEO Is Trying to Prove It

Dec 1, 2023 • 1h 15min
Nissan & Carlos Ghosn: D*ck in a Box
In 2017 Carlos Ghosn was on top of the world, he was a Japanese national hero, renowned for bringing Nissan back to life from the brink of failure. His face was on the cover of magazines, his story was depicted in Manga, he even carried the torch at the Olympics in his home country of Brazil. His sudden arrest in 2018 for financial crimes was an unexpected twist in his story that made him the center of international intrigue. As extraordinary as his life had become, no one could have imagined what would come next... Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 5:40 - CG#1: Carlos Ghosn joins the growing number of wayward CEOs with daddy issues 9:15 - CG#2: Meet carlos's car daddy: Francois Michilin 17:40 - CG#3: It's time for Carlos' Makover montage! 31:25 - CG#4: Carlos Ghosn enters his dwight schrute era 36:50 - CG#5: Ghosn follows the CEO playbook - time for an ostentatious company sponsored personal party that definitely will have no negative PR implications whatsoever 49:00 - CG#6: All Partied out!! 52:33 - CG#7: What do they say? You either die a hero or live long enough to be smuggled out of Japan in an equipment box? 56:30 - CG#7: What do they say? You either die a hero or live long enough to be smuggled out of Japan in an equipment box?

Nov 3, 2023 • 1h 24min
Sam Bankman-Fried & FTX: Fraud on top of sh*t mountain
Sam Bankman-Fried, a 28-year-old crypto genius, went from building a $40 billion empire to facing 115 years in prison for fraud. Topics include meme fundraising, skepticism towards CEOs, Sam's extravagant spending, the downfall of FTX, and the legal proceedings against Sam.

Oct 27, 2023 • 1h 15min
PG&E: Go girl give us nothing!
A very haunted episode of the Corporate Gossip Podcast! Becca and adam talk about the House of Villains that is Pacific Gas and Electric. The collection of CEOs that have lead the utility company over the past two decades are are more dubious than Omarosa and more dimwitted than Jax Taylor. On the upside, this episode should cure even the most chronic cases of imposter syndrome. Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 11:00 - "You guys need to stop talking about Enron" - said no one ever 15:00 - Peter Darabee is possessed by the ghost of Jack Welch and then gets scammed by Accenture 22:00 - Stay humble Tony Early 31:00 -Geisha Williams is rewarded for her job as pain sponge after the San Bruno explosions and is crowned CEO 46:00 - Bill Johnson, blink and you'll miss him 53:00 - Patti Poppe: New decade, same bullshit

8 snips
Oct 20, 2023 • 1h 25min
McKinsey: This is why we can't have nice things
McKinsey's involvement in boosting OxyContin sales during the opioid epidemic, scandals and controversies they are associated with, the competitive nature of working at McKinsey, the benefits and drawbacks of corporate jobs, McKinsey's recruitment strategy and impact on the middle class, unethical practices in relation to the opioid crisis, the actions and operations of McKinsey, and debating the credibility of management consultants and the value of gossip.

Oct 13, 2023 • 41min
Koch: Toxic Kings (Part 2)
This is part two of a two part episode. This week, Billy Koch turns into a corporate vigilante, as he takes the Department of Justice and the FBI on a private tour of the grounds where all the Koch corporate secrets are buried. We then tell the story of courtroom fight as dramatic as a Beverly Hills housewives reunion, with siblings rehashing decades-old conflicts and clawing at their share of billions of dollars. Then, Charles Koch continues his campaign to be voted "most-miserly" in the 2008 Billionaire Yearbook by funding an artificial-grassroots organization to promote his libertarian big business-first policies. Meanwhile, Bill Koch's son Wyatt asks the Sharks to invest $100,000 for a 10% stake in his palm-beach-boroque men's blouse line. See the Koch family tree Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 02:00 - Corporate Gossip #5: Woke up this mornin' and I got myself some oil from Native American reservations 11:30 - Corporate Gossip #6: Law and Order - Special Boss Bois Unit 21:00 - Corporate Gossip #7: Profit is my religion and regulation is the devil!! 24:15 - Corporate Gossip #8: It's a 45-day plan. 45 days! To get us back, on track. 45 points! It's a 45-day, 45-point, one point per day. We get 45 points, we're back in business! [cheers] And you can take that to the bank! And limo lady! We are going to completely destroy Barak OBAMA! [more cheers] I love you New York! 29:30 - Corporate Gossip #9: Charles Koch: Ooops! Did I do that???? 33:00 - Corporate Gossip #10: Okay That was dark, let's end on a high note - Bill Koch's son's quest to create the ugliest t-shirts of all time

Oct 6, 2023 • 1h 3min
Koch: Toxic Kings (Part 1)
The only thing more toxic than the emissions spewing from the smokestacks at Koch industries are the relationships between the four adult heirs to the family fortune. This story has EVERYTHING: court battles, private investigators, homosexual blackmail, ANNA NICOLE SMITH, sibling rivalry, and libertarian summer camp! Join Becca and Adam as they wade into the stinky, polluted waters of the Koch family dynasty in this two part episode!! See the Koch family tree Pictures & links on our substack Support the pod by buying us a coffee Check out our reading list Follow us on youtube, instagram, and tiktok Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com) Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike Timestamps: 09:00 - Corporate Gossip #1: Duck, duck, Fred Koch Sr. dies of a heart attack 16:15 - Corporate Gossip #2: Growing up Koch 39:00 - Corporate Gossip #3: Charles is our daddy now and you better believe he's gonna take his unresolved trauma and unexamined political beliefs and make all of our lives miserable 48:00 - Corporate Gossip #4: At the Koch family christmas party, Bill confronts David & Charles over stealing his Dolce & Gabanna lifestyle and wagers a war that will destroy the family


