The Hustle's Original Stories

Once revered as the safest way to store physical valuables, safe deposit boxes are now being phased out by major banks. The move is already starting to backfire.

In recent years, the subjects and photographers behind some of the internet’s most popular memes have taken legal action to protect their work from nefarious actors.

A typical agent in the US closes on 10 homes in a year. One record-setting agent in Texas does better than that nearly every day.

Today’s cities are almost completely devoid of public toilets. An unfolding movement is trying to change that.

How an entrepreneur merged spiritualism and capitalism to create a multimillion-dollar brand.

Altar bread was once made by hundreds of communities of nuns across the US. Now, a for-profit company controls nearly the entire market.

Costco’s popular chickens have stayed fixed at $4.99 for more than a decade — even in the face of raging inflation. But it’s come at a cost.

At the outset of the Depression, Charles Mitchell was the most wanted banker in America. Today, his name’s largely been forgotten.

Piano-building was once one of the country’s largest industries. Today, only two companies remain in business.

Anytime you order nachos at a sporting event, there’s a good chance they came from a molten-cheese empire in San Antonio, Texas.

Across rural America, independent grocery stores are shuttering. To keep its only store from joining the trend, one small town in Kansas got creative.

Fringe groups have glommed onto brands like Pit Viper, Dr. Martens, and Fred Perry. Can a brand reclaim its identity from unwanted customers?

George Leonidas Leslie orchestrated an estimated 80% of all bank robberies in the US in the late 1800s — a total haul worth millions — all while living a strange double life.

Gas is at record-high prices in the United States, but it still costs far less than elsewhere in the world. And in the long run, Americans might pay for that privilege.

The Hustle surveyed 3k+ renters and landlords to find out how much rent has gone up in 2022, and what’s driving the surge.

A little-known provision in a 100-year-old contract opened up the door for private investors to mint money from mouthwash sales.

A hot housing market has attracted thousands of new agents. For most of them, the gold rush won’t be so lucrative.

Taking the kids to a baseball game, a movie, or Disneyland is a bigger financial commitment than it used to be for middle-class families.

Nearly 50 years ago, one man ‘invented’ the modern smiley face. Then, another man halfway across the world made it into a multimillion-dollar cash cow.

A handful of companies have pushed the boundaries of intellectual property law by laying claim to individual colors.

Financial gurus want young home shoppers to stop complaining and cut back on small luxuries. But there are broader affordability issues at play.

We talked to one of the most successful investors in the world about inflation, the debt crisis, and the decline of the American empire.

The Depp-Heard trial was the latest courtroom battle to call attention to the gainful microeconomy of expert witnesses.

The Great Recession led to a carpenter exodus. But cultural and pay issues have stunted the profession’s growth for far longer.

The story of See’s Candies reminds us of the importance of consistency, quality, and long-term growth in investing.

When something is free, people feel a positive glow — and standard cost-benefit analyses go out the window.

When golf tournaments promise big cash prizes for holes-in-one, they turn to niche insurers to protect against a stroke of luck.

Hotel guests leave behind millions of half-used bars of soap every day. A nonprofit is on a mission to repurpose them.

When Atari’s video game designers were stiffed on credit for their work, they expressed their dissatisfaction through hidden messages.

With gas prices climbing up, you may think station owners are getting greedy. But the economics behind the pump tell a different story.