The Best Idea Yet

Before 2007, mobile phones had tiny keyboards, crappy screens with internet so slow - you could finish a super burrito while waiting for your MySpace profile to load. Then Apple wowed the world with the iPhone: a digital Swiss Army knife that replaced cameras, maps, music players, AND created an entire new app economy. But the wildest part? Steve Jobs didn’t even want to build it…at first. Once Steve finally said ""yes,"" the real work began: a top-secret team (codename: Project Purple), some engineering dead-ends (a click wheel), and a near-impossible engineering challenge. Even then, Apple barely pulled it off — the first iPhone prototype was so flakey, one wrong tap could have sunk Steve's big reveal. Find out the (many) ways the iPhone almost failed before it even launched, what drove Steve Jobs to order 4,000 lattes, how a single device reshaped society (and your screen time), and why the iPhone is the best idea yet. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Margaret Rudkin’s family was in crisis. The Great Depression cleaned out their finances, her husband was bedridden after an accident, and her son was suffering from crippling allergies. Things were looking grim… until Margaret invented a revolutionary wheat bread, and built a baked-goods empire named for the tree in her front yard: Pepperidge Farm. A visionary businesswoman, Margaret’s talents extended way beyond the kitchen. She grew her company by haggling sweet deals for new Pepperidge Farm products—including a certain baked cracker from Switzerland shaped like a tiny fish. Learn the incredible story of how Pepperidge Farm evolved Goldfish from romantic birthday gift, to Julia Child’s favorite appetizer, to a billion-dollar brand embraced by little kids and Gen-Z alike. Here’s why Goldfish Crackers are the best idea yet. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1981, a scrappy ex-radio executive named John Lack had a wild vision: “What if there was a 24-hour television channel devoted entirely to music videos?” Back then, music videos weren’t really a thing, just a goofy way for record labels to promote new albums (Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody? Basically a hype video). But Lack saw them as the perfect opportunity to capture a completely untapped demographic…Teens. Record labels laughed him out of the room (""We ain't giving you our f*cking music"") and corporate suits questioned every angle. But against the odds, Lack changed the game with six words: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll.” Find out how MTV revolutionized not only how we consume music, but how we experience culture itself… why David Bowie put the channel on blast, and how “seven strangers” helped launch a $2B reality-show industry. Here’s why MTV is the best idea yet.  Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you currently own a 12-pack of bath tissue, a 150-count bag of laundry pods, and/or a 48-oz jar of cashews, chances are they all have the same label: Kirkland Signature. Costco debuted this private-label brand—aka ‘store brand’—in 1995 and since then, it’s become a sales-driving juggernaut. Kirkland products now account for a quarter of Costco’s total sales, from coffee and batteries to their famous rotisserie chickens and $1.50 hot dogs. But don’t you dare call Kirkland “generic”, the brand has built up a rep for high-quality products and a cult-like following from all walks of life. (Kirkland Tequila as status symbol? Believe it.) Learn how a retail legend named Sol Price fought off Walmart to make the world’s most perfect shoppers’ club, why the mere suggestion to raise the hot dog price resulted in a death threat, and why Costco’s Kirkland is the best idea yet. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Taco Bell was struggling and needed an idea so bold… so over-the-top… so WEIRD… that it would capture America’s taste buds and Instagram feeds. So when it unveiled the Doritos Locos Tacos (or ""DLT"") in 2012, jaws dropped…then immediately started chomping. The hard-shell taco coated with cheesy Dorito dusting became the biggest fast food hit of the decade, selling over a billion tacos. Even tastier for Taco Bell: the red-hot fan hype turned the DLT into the first viral fast food hit of the social media age. But creating the DLT wasn’t a simple matter of sprinkling on some cheese dust. It took two years, 40 (!) prototypes, and some of the smartest minds in food science working in a secret lab to crack the deliciously elusive code. Discover the mom-and-pop restaurant that inspired Taco Bell's founder, how being more like Bridget Jones can up your idea hit rate, and why the Doritos Locos Taco is the best idea yet. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.