Code Rouge
Cosmetic companies like Estée Lauder Cos., the company behind MAC, Clinique, and other popular brands have been battling counterfeit cosmetics for years. But the rise of sourcing websites such as China’s Alibaba has made it even easier for people to buy counterfeit makeup in bulk and sell them to unsuspecting buyers who believe they’re getting a deal on real products.
Netflix Wants the World to Binge-Watch
“The answer may reside in Brazil. It’s here, in the shadows of Globo, that Netflix has been creating, revising, and perfecting the first draft of its international playbook.” Over the past few years, the streaming service has grown to prominence in Brazil, setting the stage for expansion into more than 100 other countries.
Confessions of an Instagram Influencer
Can an agency turn anyone into an Instagram star? Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Max Chafkin volunteers to find out.
tronc If You Want to Save Journalism
The baffling story of what happened to a newspaper empire after a businessman named Michael Ferro took over.
How Hampton Creek Sold Silicon Valley on a Fake-Mayo Miracle
A vegan food company used false claims and “deployed a national network of contractors to secretly buy back” its products from grocery stores to raise millions from investors.
Secret Cameras Record Baltimore’s Every Move From Above
Since January, police have been testing an aerial surveillance system adapted from the surge in Iraq. And they neglected to tell the public.
A Mormon Tycoon Wants to Build Joseph Smith’s Mega-Utopia in Vermont
A wealthy Mormon engineer envisions a sustainable, high-tech, high-density community of 20,000 people in rural Vermont.
The Fake Factory That Pumped Out Real Money
One EPA engineer exposed a counterfeit biodiesel company in Texas, providing an interesting green-version of the classic swindle story, and evidence of how rich a field biofraud might be for con-artists.
The Braves Play Taxpayers Better Than They Play Baseball
“If there’s one thing the Braves know how to do, it’s how to get money out of taxpayers.”
Johnson & Johnson Has a Baby Powder Problem
More than 1,000 women are suing the company for failure to warn women of the potential risk of ovarian cancer linked to Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.