If you’ve ever heard an old timer gripe that things aren’t built like they used to be, that old timer was right! Learn about the nefarious, possibly mythical, mechanism that’s responsible for the cruddy products and waste our consumer society is based on.
# Stuff You Should Know - Planned Obsolescence Summary
Josh and Chuck dive deep into planned obsolescence, exploring how companies deliberately design products to fail or become outdated so you'll buy replacements sooner than necessary. From the shadowy 1920s lightbulb cartel that secretly agreed to shorten bulb lifespans, to Apple's battery throttling and printer cartridge schemes that seem designed to frustrate anyone who's ever owned a printer, the guys unpack the fascinating and infuriating history of how manufacturers convinced us that newer is always better. Along the way they celebrate those rare gems like that 117-year-old lightbulb still burning in a California firehouse and lament what happened to products that actually used to last a lifetime.
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