Backfired: The Vaping Wars

By: Leon Neyfakh, Prologue Projects

Narrated by: Leon Neyfakh, Arielle Pardes

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

When two Stanford graduate students set out to create a new kind of cigarette that wouldn’t kill them, they didn’t foresee all the obstacles that lay ahead — or the powerful forces their invention would unleash. Nearly 10 years after the launch of the JUUL, Backfired: The Vaping Wars asks: Could e-cigarettes have been the solution to one of the world’s most pressing public health problems—or was this technology doomed to introduce a whole new generation to nicotine, and end up perpetuating an intractable addiction?

Backfired is the latest podcast from Prologue Projects, the award-winning team behind Slow Burn, Fiasco, and Think Twice: Michael Jackson. Backfired is a show about the business of unintended consequences—what happens when solving one problem inadvertently leads to a host of new ones?

In this tale of opportunity, addiction, and good intentions gone awry, hosts Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes offer a definitive account of Juul Labs’ rise and fall, as well as the ubiquitous illegal vape market that sprouted up in its wake. Through dozens of original interviews, they gain access to the key players who got swept up—sometimes unwittingly—in the firestorm that reshaped the culture of nicotine.

For a list of books, articles, and documentaries used in the research for this podcast, please visit bit.ly/backfiredbib.

The senior producer of Backfired: The Vaping Wars was Sam Lee. The editor was Kim Gittleson. Producers were Dustin Desoto, Leon Neyfakh, Arielle Pardes, and Katherine Sullivan. The assistant producer was Arlene Arevalo. Sound design by Andrew Parsons. Archival research and fact-checking by Francis Carr. Theme song and score composed by Emma Munger. Audio mix by Erica Huang. Backfired was co-created for Prologue Projects by Kim Gittleson.

©2024 Prologue Projects (P)2024 Audible Originals, LLC

Another Neyfahk Masterpiece

Everything Leon Neyfahk does is so very good. His investigative work on all of his podcasts is first class and this is another example of his journalistic expertise. What struck me most about this particular story was his personal connection to the subject, his willingness to be open about his own addiction and Ariel’s clear-eyed devil’s-advocate contributing all the counter arguments raised in this messy, complicated, yet fascinating topic. Thanks for another informative show.

All sides.

The information and investigation came at the issue from sides and in the right order. Still so much isn’t known but l understand more than I did before.

Mind changing

I plan to send this to all my friends who smoke. I have no plans on becoming a vaper, but it changed my mind and made me look at the industry in a different way.

Great book, great information

Really interesting story I would recommend it to anyone who asked, worth a listen if you have a subscription

Well researched and earnest

The pair presented a well rounded approach to a complex history and hot issue in a very engaging way.

Addiction to Nicotine…

Quitting smoking cigarettes after 45 years of use was the hardest thing I’ve had to do, but it was the HABIT, not the Nicotine addiction. Nicotine leaves the body in 3-5 days. For me, the rest of it was having the first cup of coffee without a cigarette, no smoking after a meal, no smoking while driving or doing laundry or working on the computer or sitting outside…It was also a way of keeping track of time. For 3-4 years I still found myself reaching for the non-existent pack. On really beautiful, hot summer days I still crave a cigarette. I still love the smell of someone smoking, especially right after they light up but I do not feel the desire to indulge in Nicotine again. Perhaps I am just lucky? But both my parents were Smokers, especially my Dad and I loved the smell of his first cigarette wafting up the stairs along with the smell of fresh coffee (my true addiction).

Very informative

The information was given in a way that you can draw your own conclusion based on what angle you looked at it from.

Science around vapiy

I like the topic. Very timely and the information in the podcast is interesting. It's a good review of this daily habit people have acquired.

Truly EXCELLENT podcast

Lost both of my parents to smoking related lung disease and have always had a negative perception of vaping. This well-researched podcast shows the complexity of this issue. This first episodes had me furious about the targeting of youth (and greed of companies). The research behind health benefits and harms of vaping and discussion of harm reduction efforts in the UK all provided a well rounded picture. WELL worth the listen. Truly excellent job.

Great Info

Great research done on such a complicated subject. I loved the different perspectives from everyone impacted by this industry. I really enjoyed the interviews done on founders of different vape companies.