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Dec 2022
1h 10m

Companies Run by Cults

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

From fast food to mass media, it can be tough to know who really runs a company. In today's episode, the guys dive into the true stories of companies that are either founded by or run by groups the average person would consider... cults. They don’t want you to read our book.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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