First they were weird. Then they were fun. Now, they are tired, played out, and full of catfish. In this episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism we wade into the sordid world of modern dating apps, exploring how one of the most defining elements of modern dating culture got so bad.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah


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Sources:

Tinder: CEO Renate Nyborg to leave dating app after one year

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62402874?utm_id=8562679&orgid=128&utm_att1=

How to date right: Romance is in the air with a former Trump aide’s new app for conservatives

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine-features/2977090/how-to-date-right-romance-is-in-the-air-with-a-former-trump-aides-new-app-for-conservatives/

The Right Stuff users claim they were contacted by FBI after using the conservative dating app

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/conservative-dating-app-right-stuff-fbi-b2195668.html

Dating Apps Have Hit a Wall. Can They Turn Things Around?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/business/dating-apps-tinder-bumble.html

Bumble’s Anti-Celibacy Campaign Is Not Going Over Well

https://www.thecut.com/article/the-controversy-around-bumbles-anti-celibacy-billboards.html

Forbes Health Survey: 79% Of Gen Z Report Dating App Burnout

https://www.forbes.com/health/dating/dating-app-fatigue/

57: DATING APPS

Genius economist and con artist, or genius economist con artist? The legacy of John Law is the invention of modern financial policy, for better and for worse. Join us as we go historical, to the birth of paper money itself.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/kpUKLZgU

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67: The Mississippi Company

Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault and racism.

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing.
Today we explore the strange and often controversial history of Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known as Katy Perry, and examine her legacy both on earth and beyond.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/TfTXt8UD

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68: Katy Perry

His grease stains menaced warehouse shelves from Brazil to Calcutta. He was elusive man, an oil man, whose mob ties were debated in hushed tones in New York country clubs. This is how Anthony "Tino" De Angelis swindled America to the brink of recession.

Edited and thumbnail by Noah

Sources: https://pastebin.com/ixvnrcSZ

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69: The Salad Oil Scandal

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

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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

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

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71: Woodstock '99

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

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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

Destroyer

Hysterical

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

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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

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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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

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!

57: DATING APPS

Desperate Acts of Capitalism Podcast

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