The lightbulb conspiracy is both real and everywhere
Over the next few episodes, we present Hidden Histories: stories that will make you rethink how the world works. First up, the conspiracy behind the lightbulb—and how it came to shape the entire consumer economy. If you ever wondered why your tech outdates so quickly or just plain fails, you can thank the lightbulb. (This episode originally aired in 2019.)
Guests:
Sally Helm, former NPR Planet Money correspondent
Markus Krajewski, author of The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy
Giles Slade, author of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
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Guests:
Sally Helm, former NPR Planet Money correspondent
Markus Krajewski, author of The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy
Giles Slade, author of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
More description
Over the next few episodes, we present Hidden Histories: stories that will make you rethink how the world works. First up, the conspiracy behind the lightbulb—and how it came to shape the entire consumer economy. If you ever wondered why your tech outdates so quickly or just plain fails, you can thank the lightbulb. (This episode originally aired in 2019.)
Guests:
Sally Helm, former NPR Planet Money correspondent
Markus Krajewski, author of The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy
Giles Slade, author of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Guests:
Sally Helm, former NPR Planet Money correspondent
Markus Krajewski, author of The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy
Giles Slade, author of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
2026-07-30
31 min
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