We reach for it twice a day — without thinking about the decades of research and engineering that went into that squeezable tube of minty goo. Zachary Crockett extracts the last bit.

• SOURCES:
  • Stephan Habif, chief technology officer at Colgate-Palmolive.
  • Sergio Leite, global head of Oral Care R&D at Colgate-Palmolive.
  • Peter Miskell, professor of international business history at the University of Reading.

• EXTRAS:
  • "History of Toothpaste" (Delta Dental of Arkansas, 2019).
  • "Cavity Protection or Cosmetic Perfection? Innovation and Marketing of Toothpaste Brands in the United States and Western Europe, 1955–1985," by Peter Miskell (Business History Review, 2011).
• 
  RESOURCES:
  • "9,000-Year-Old Dentistry," by WIRED Staff (WIRED, 2006).

When a Fortune 500 company needs a new leader, it turns to a well-connected headhunter who assesses candidates with psychological tests and mock TV interviews. Zachary Crockett activates his network.

• SOURCES:
  • Julian Ha, partner at the executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles.
  • Jane Stevenson, global vice chair of board and CEO services at Korn Ferry.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Transformation of the CEO," by Stephen Langton, Rusty O'Kelley, Laura Sanderson, and Sean Roberts (Russell Reynolds Associates, 2024).
  • "Executive Paywatch" (AFL-CIO, 2023).
  • "Diversity matters even more: The case for holistic impact," by Dame Vivian Hunt, Sundiatu Dixon-Fyle, Celia Huber, María del Mar Martínez Márquez, Sara Prince, and Ashley Thomas (McKinsey & Company, 2023).
  • "CEO Tenure Rates," by Joyce Chen (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governenance, 2023).
  • "Best Industries to Recruit for in the US" (Precision Global Consulting).

Security guards make malls feel safer, but what can they do when there’s trouble? Zachary Crockett observes and reports.

• SOURCES:
  • Gus Parsons, mall cop in the San Diego area.
  • David Levenberg, owner of Center Security Services.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Mall of America's security team will start using facial recognition software as part of safety plan," by Derek James (CBS News, 2024).
  • "The Problems Inside North America’s Largest Security Firm—and Third-Biggest Employer," by Alana Semuels (Time, 2023).
  • "Malls Work on Their Security, but Keep It in the Background," by Ronda Kaysen (New York Times, 2013).
  • Center Security Services.

• EXTRAS:
  • "NYPD subway robot, Knightscope, gets sacked after two-month pilot program," by Vineet Josan (The Ticker, 2024).
  • "The State of the American Mall," by Sapna Maheshwari (New York Times, 2021).

How do TV producers decide how much money to give away? A little psychology and a lot of math. Zachary Crockett phones a friend.

• SOURCES:
  • Bowen Kerins, math teacher and former contestant on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.
  • Arthur Smith, CEO of A. Smith & Co. Productions and author of "Reach: Hard Lessons and Learned Truths from a Lifetime in Television."
  • Aaron Solomon, television producer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "‘The Price Is Right’ Celebrates 10,000 Episodes With Extra Big Wins for Contestants That Top Off at $100,000!" by Rosemary Rossi (Variety, 2025).
  • "Why haven’t more game show prizes been adjusted for inflation?" by Janet Nguyen (Marketplace, 2023).
  • "Deal or No Deal? Decision Making under Risk in a Large-Payoff Game Show," by Thierry Post, Martijn J. van den Assem, Guido Baltussen, and Richard Thaler (American Economic Review, 2008).
  • "Why Game Shows Have Economists Glued to Their TVs," by Charles Florelle (Wall Street Journal, 2006).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Bowen Kerins on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (2000).

A fast-food burger has to taste the same — and cost the same — thousands of times a day at restaurants across the country. Zachary Crockett mans the fryer.

• SOURCES:
  • John Karangis, vice president of culinary innovation at Shake Shack.
  • Walter Zuromski, owner and chief culinary officer of the Chef Services Group.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Shake Shack’s New Test Kitchen Is Shaping the Future of the Brand," by Stefanie Tuder (Eater, 2018).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Truffles," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2023).

American golfers lose 300 million balls a year — and all those bad swings are someone else’s business opportunity. Zachary Crockett hits the links.

• SOURCES:
  • Todd Hutchinson, president and owner of BallHawker.
  • Lashan Wanigatunga, founder of Two Guys With Balls.

• RESOURCES:
  • "BallHawker, Challenge Enterprises Turn Wayward Golf Shots Into Successful Endeavor," Natalie Gilstrap (Clay Today, 2023).
  • "Temecula Golf Ball Diver Nets $100,000 a Year," by Jeff Zevely (CBS8, 2022).
  • "Golf’s Recycled Ball Market is Big Business," by Erik Matuszewski (Link, 2021).
  • "The Inside Story of What the Original Titleist Pro V1 Launch Was Really Like," Andrew Tursky (Golf Digest, 2020).
  • "Head of Golf Ball Retrieval Company Sentenced for Manslaughter After Diving Death at Wales Golf Course," by Alex Myers (Golf Digest, 2017).
  • "Man Dies While Illegally Diving for Golf Balls," by Alex Myers (Golf Digest, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Greg Norman Takes On the P.G.A. Tour," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).

Before a guide dog can help a blind person navigate the world, it has to pass a series of tests, then go through $75,000 worth of training. Zachary Crockett sniffs around.

• SOURCES:
  • Peggy Gibbon, director of canine development at The Seeing Eye.
  • Charles Pat McKenna, assistant division director of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Why Seeing Eye Dogs Are So Expensive To Breed and Train," by Abby Tang and Emily Christian (Business Insider, 2024).
  • "For decades, the blind have used canes to get around. Now a special wristband gives them a ‘sixth sense.'" by Peter Holley (Washington Post, 2017).
  • The Seeing Eye.
  • "History of Guide Dogs," by The International Guide Dog Federation.
  • "Facts and Figures" by The International Guide Dog Federation.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Morris Frank," by The International Guide Dog Foundation (Vimeo, 2021).

Behind that 70% off sign, there’s a liquidation consultant trying to maximize retailer profits. Zachary Crockett seeks a deal.

• SOURCES:
  • Bradley Snyder, executive managing director at Tiger Group.
  • Zac Rogers, associate professor of supply chain management at Colorado State University

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Went Wrong: The Demise of Toys R Us," by Angie Basiouny (Knowledge at Wharton, 2018)
  • "Retail apocalypse 2024: All the once-popular stores and restaurants that shuttered locations this year," by Sarah Bregel (Forbes, 2024)
  • "BBB Tip: Avoid bogus bargains at going out of business sales" by Better Business Bureau (2024)
  • "There’s a science and art to running a going-out-of-business sale. (And business is booming.)" by Courtney Reagan (CNBC, 2018)

• EXTRAS:
  • "I don't wanna grow up: The first day of the end of our childhoods," by Mike Higdon (Reno Gazette-Journal, 2018)