The Phoebus Cartel: How Lightbulbs Were Designed to Die

In the 1920s, leading lightbulb manufacturers across Europe and America secretly agreed to limit the lifespan of bulbs to just 1,000 hours. This global conspiracy—known as the Phoebus Cartel—was one of the earliest and most infamous examples of planned obsolescence. In this episode, we uncover how a product that could have lasted for decades was deliberately engineered to fail, reshaping consumer culture and paving the way for the throwaway economy we live in today. From economic incentives to environmental consequences, the story of the Phoebus Cartel reveals how the pursuit of profit can dim the promise of innovation.

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