#17: The Corporate Sabotage of the Great Lightbulb Cartel (Phoebus)
In 1924, major lightbulb manufacturers, including General Electric and Philips, created the Phoebus Cartel, which was designed to control the market by enforcing planned obsolescence. The cartel established rules that required lightbulbs to last no longer than 1,000 hours. This decision may sound shocking, but it was a calculated move to boost profits by consistently selling new bulbs.
