<description>What if there was an amusement park where management literally did not care about safety? What if the danger of dying was part of the allure? What if millions of people flocked to the park to experience a culture of lawlessness, free from the harsh rules and draconian safety precautions of most theme parks? Today we’re going to explore the history of Action Park.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park 

Class Action Park Directed by Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III, HBO Max, 2020.</description>

What if there was an amusement park where managem…

What if there was an amusement park where management literally did not care about safety? What if the danger of dying was part of the allure? What if millions of people flocked to the park to experience a culture of lawlessness, free from the harsh rules and draconian safety precautions of most theme parks? Today we’re going to explore the history of Action Park.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism  

BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park 

Class Action Park Directed by Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III, HBO Max, 2020.

74: Action Park

<description>Radical dude! On this week's episode we dive in to the world of crooked IPOs, the birth of retail investing, and explore the second most famous stock market crash in recent history.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://companiesmarketcap.com/cisco/stock-price-history/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnazfW1T-ks https://archive.org/details/digitalphoenixwh00abra
</description>

Radical dude! On this week's episode we dive in t…

Radical dude! On this week's episode we dive in to the world of crooked IPOs, the birth of retail investing, and explore the second most famous stock market crash in recent history.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism  

BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

https://companiesmarketcap.com/cisco/stock-price-history/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnazfW1T-ks https://archive.org/details/digitalphoenixwh00abra


73: The Dotcom Bubble

<description>What happens when you give 3,000 Magic the Gathering nerds billions in capital, a dream, and a poorly regulated options market? Crime. This episode is about Jane Street.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

Why Jane Street, a US trading giant, is in trouble in India https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y0zgrevl1o Jane Street invested in start-up turning China’s noodle shop sales into securities https://www-ft-com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/112bd653-35c0-4d12-b9af-2c1d38d0e90d Jane Street Strategy and Product Internship, May-August https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/position/7828490002/ How the hell did Jane Street alumni end up creating FTX? https://www.ft.com/content/679d0fa9-8491-44f5-8336-f390d6c877fe Jane Street: the top Wall Street firm ‘no one’s heard of’ https://www.ft.com/content/81811f27-4a8f-4941-99b3-2762cae76542 Jane Street is big. Like, really, really big https://www.ft.com/content/54671865-4c7f-4692-a879-867ef68f0bde Wealthy Wall Street recluse claims he was duped by Harvard fellow into funding weapons for alleged coup in South Sudan https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/south-sudan-coup-peter-ajak-b2777162.html</description>

What happens when you give 3,000 Magic the Gather…

What happens when you give 3,000 Magic the Gathering nerds billions in capital, a dream, and a poorly regulated options market? Crime. This episode is about Jane Street.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism  

BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

Why Jane Street, a US trading giant, is in trouble in India https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y0zgrevl1o Jane Street invested in start-up turning China’s noodle shop sales into securities https://www-ft-com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/112bd653-35c0-4d12-b9af-2c1d38d0e90d Jane Street Strategy and Product Internship, May-August https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/position/7828490002/ How the hell did Jane Street alumni end up creating FTX? https://www.ft.com/content/679d0fa9-8491-44f5-8336-f390d6c877fe Jane Street: the top Wall Street firm ‘no one’s heard of’ https://www.ft.com/content/81811f27-4a8f-4941-99b3-2762cae76542 Jane Street is big. Like, really, really big https://www.ft.com/content/54671865-4c7f-4692-a879-867ef68f0bde Wealthy Wall Street recluse claims he was duped by Harvard fellow into funding weapons for alleged coup in South Sudan https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/south-sudan-coup-peter-ajak-b2777162.html

72: Jane Street

<description>Content warning: This episode contains a couple brief sections discussing sexual assault and rape, so listener discretion is advised.

As you stand in the 100 degree heat, finishing the last sip of your $28 water bottle, covered in mud and suffering from trench foot, the music of Limp Bizkit echoes in the distance. "Am I in hell?" You ask yourself. No, you're at Woodstock '99. And the chaos is just getting started. Today we'll explore the insane history behind one of the most infamous music festivals of all time.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism  

BIG THINGS ARE COMING</description>

Content warning: This episode contains a couple b…

Content warning: This episode contains a couple brief sections discussing sexual assault and rape, so listener discretion is advised.

As you stand in the 100 degree heat, finishing the last sip of your $28 water bottle, covered in mud and suffering from trench foot, the music of Limp Bizkit echoes in the distance. "Am I in hell?" You ask yourself. No, you're at Woodstock '99. And the chaos is just getting started. Today we'll explore the insane history behind one of the most infamous music festivals of all time.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism  

BIG THINGS ARE COMING

71: Woodstock '99

<description>In a world where hot dogs are harder to buy, and brands drown in the muck of online retail, a hero rises from the ashes to offer predatory unsecured loans through an app. That hero's name? Klarna.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

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BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

1) https://www.expressen.se/ekonomi/klarna-miljardaren-berattar-om-de-skakande-anklagelserna/
2) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/8428669/Start-Up-100-A-Z.html
3) https://owp.klarna.com/legacy/assets/sites/15/2021/05/28054804/Financial-Update-Q1-2021.pdf https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/04/as-buy-now-pay-later-startups-keep-raising-capital-a-dive-into-klarna-afterpay-and-affirms-earnings/
4) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/11/klarna-sees-its-value-slashed-by-85-in-latest-round-of-fundraising https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/klarnas-valuation-slumps-67-bln-with-800-mln-raise-2022-07-11/
5) https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/04/klarna-to-start-reporting-uk-customer-debts-to-credit-agencies
6) https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/nov/17/klarna-buy-now-pay-later-system-that-is-seducing-millennials
7) https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/21/klarna-used-an-ai-avatar-of-its-ceo-to-deliver-earnings-it-said/
8) https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/21/klarna-used-an-ai-avatar-of-its-ceo-to-deliver-earnings-it-said/
9 ) https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/cfpb-buy-now-pay-later-bnpl-use-debt-research-report/737285/</description>

In a world where hot dogs are harder to buy, and …

In a world where hot dogs are harder to buy, and brands drown in the muck of online retail, a hero rises from the ashes to offer predatory unsecured loans through an app. That hero's name? Klarna.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASES, BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE:   

www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism  

BIG THINGS ARE COMING

Sources:

1) https://www.expressen.se/ekonomi/klarna-miljardaren-berattar-om-de-skakande-anklagelserna/
2) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/8428669/Start-Up-100-A-Z.html
3) https://owp.klarna.com/legacy/assets/sites/15/2021/05/28054804/Financial-Update-Q1-2021.pdf https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/04/as-buy-now-pay-later-startups-keep-raising-capital-a-dive-into-klarna-afterpay-and-affirms-earnings/
4) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/11/klarna-sees-its-value-slashed-by-85-in-latest-round-of-fundraising https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/klarnas-valuation-slumps-67-bln-with-800-mln-raise-2022-07-11/
5) https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/04/klarna-to-start-reporting-uk-customer-debts-to-credit-agencies
6) https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/nov/17/klarna-buy-now-pay-later-system-that-is-seducing-millennials
7) https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/21/klarna-used-an-ai-avatar-of-its-ceo-to-deliver-earnings-it-said/
8) https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/21/klarna-used-an-ai-avatar-of-its-ceo-to-deliver-earnings-it-said/
9 ) https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/cfpb-buy-now-pay-later-bnpl-use-debt-research-report/737285/

70: Klarna

Desperate Acts of Capitalism is a comedy podcast about money, marketing, and how it all goes wrong. Join us on our magical journey through a wonderland of burning money!

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