Top 10 Products That Bombed so Hard They Destroyed the Company

Top 10 Products That Bombed So Hard They Destroyed the Company

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Products That Bombed So Hard They Destroyed the Company.

For this list, we’ll be looking at products that failed to sell and consequently ruined the company behind them.

Do you remember any of these? Are there any you actually miss? Let us know in the comments below!

#10: Peek

2008 was a bad year to release an email-only handheld device. The iPhone was released just one year prior, and it could do a heck of a lot more than send emails. Yet in September of 2008, Peek, Inc. released a handheld email device that seemed positively quaint compared to the sleek, shiny, and futuristic iPhone. It received a strong reception, and was even named Gadget of the Year by Time and Wired. But it floundered next to the far superior iPhone, causing future iterations to add the likes of Twitter and Facebook. It was far too late, however. The product was dead by 2012, and Peek, Inc. is now long forgotten.

#9: Juicero Press

This device was like a combination of Keurig and Hello Fresh, and aspired to revolutionize the juicing industry. Rather than buying and preparing the ingredients yourself, Juicero sold single-serve packets on a subscription basis. The packets contained prepared fruits and vegetables, which promised to make the juicing process easier and faster. However, the Press itself was completely unnecessary, as juicing could easily be done by hand. Critics also contended that it was grossly overpriced, in part due to overengineering. The high cost of the device and subscription, compounded by the negative publicity, meant that Juicero’s revenue stream quickly dried up.

#8: The ZiP .22 Pistol

The U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Company made a name for itself producing old-fashioned Colt revolvers and carbines. These guns can be seen in prominent Western films, including “3:10 to Yuma.” But in 2011, the company decided to abandon their Western theme and began production on the much-maligned USFA ZiP .22. The semi-automatic pistol was considered innovative, but many consumers reported mechanical problems with the gun. Word quickly got around, and the gun was discontinued just one year after it was introduced. Its failure caused the U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Company to go out of business.

#7: Digg

Once upon a time, Digg was one of the biggest names on the internet. A news aggregator with a unique upvote system, Digg is the main progenitor of Reddit, which styled itself after the popular website. But everything changed in 2010. The site was completely redesigned, and co-founders Jay Adelson and Kevin Rose left the company. Not only was the new design widely hated, but its launch was marred by widespread bugs and performance issues. Furthermore, Digg was hit with increased competition, including the aforementioned Reddit and a rapidly-growing Facebook. Digg’s user base dramatically plummeted, and in 2012 it was sold off in parts for just over $15 million.

#6: Quibi

For those unaware, Quibi was a streaming service designed for smartphones. The promise was monumental. Big names were attached to make content for the service, and the company had raised almost $2 billion in investments. So why did Quibi fail? Let us count the ways. COVID lockdowns kept people inside and watching TV, not their phones. TikTok dominates the short-form video market and doesn’t cost a dime, whereas Quibi was $5 a month with ads. Marketing was confusing and limited. And its exclusive content was unmemorable. Quibi lasted just eight months, launching in April 2020 and dissolving that December.

#5: Eons.com

Jeff Taylor made a monster of a website with, well, Monster.com. At one point, Monster was the name in job search engines. But they can’t all be winners, and like a disappointing sophomore album, Taylor also made Eons. Launched in 2006, Eons was a social networking site similar to Facebook but catered to people over 40. Ever heard of it? Exactly. The site was a total failure, and it was bought out just five years after its launch. It was taken fully offline in 2012, as it was unable to meet the financial requirements of its service provider.

#4: MoviePass

There was a great idea behind MoviePass. As the theater-going experience has grown significantly more expensive, MoviePass promised an alternative. Users would pay a monthly subscription fee, and in return receive a certain amount of movie tickets. While the service launched in 2011, it didn’t attain widespread popularity until 2017, when new owners lowered subscription fees to $10 a month - winning millions of new subscribers. When that wasn’t enough to offset costs, CEO Mitch Lowe ordered employees to reset the passwords of the most active users! The company went bankrupt in 2020, and Lowe faced charges from the Federal Trade Commission for his actions. As of writing, the company’s original owner was relaunching the company, so we’ll see if Moviepass 2.0 has more luck.

#3: Friendster

Launched in 2003, Friendster was a pioneer in social networking online. Friendster had already accrued over three million users before MySpace and Facebook even went online. By 2008, Friendster was being used by 115 million people. But Facebook was rising in popularity and revolutionizing social media, and Friendster couldn’t keep up. The business was soon bought out by a Malaysian company named MOL Global, who turned it into a gaming site. This meant that Friendster no longer had to compete with Facebook, but regardless, the site shut down in 2015. The company followed suit three years later. There’s just no competing with the behemoths.

#2: The de Havilland Comet

British company de Havilland was the biggest name in aviation at the beginning of the 20th century. They produced many notable aircraft, including the world’s first commercial airliner, the de Havilland Comet. The airplane made its first flight on July 27, 1949 and officially debuted in 1952. Unfortunately, problems with the airframe resulted in three highly publicized crashes. Amid the bad publicity, de Havilland had to withdraw its plane from service. Other manufacturers like Boeing and Douglas learned from the Comet’s failure and were able to overtake de Havilland in the market. The company was bought out in 1960 and went defunct three years later. Sometimes, it doesn’t pay to be a trailblazer!

#1: The DMC DeLorean

The DeLorean is now an iconic car thanks to “Back to the Future,” in which it’s used as a time machine. But this is a strong example of “look, don’t touch.” When the DeLorean was introduced in 1981, it drew intense criticism. The build quality was poor, it suffered widespread mechanical issues, and its performance was disappointing for a sports car that came with a premium price tag. Basically, everything about it sucked. DMC only sold a few thousand DeLoreans, and production halted after less than two years. The company went bankrupt, and its product is now considered one of the worst cars ever made.