Difference between revisions of "Phoebus Cartel"
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* [https://blog.adafruit.com/2023/03/14/the-phoebus-cartel-yes-light-bulbs-lifespans-were-lowered-for-profit/ the phoebus cartel was an oligopoly] | * [https://blog.adafruit.com/2023/03/14/the-phoebus-cartel-yes-light-bulbs-lifespans-were-lowered-for-profit/ the phoebus cartel was an oligopoly] | ||
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWJC5ieUAe4 the lightbulb conspiracy] | * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWJC5ieUAe4 the lightbulb conspiracy] | ||
* [https://www.tildedave.com/byron.html byron the bulb] | * [https://www.tildedave.com/byron.html byron the bulb] - Thomas Pynchon created a character called "Byron the Bulb," who was thought to have been the first exposure of the Phoebus Cartel. | ||
{{Things}} | {{Things}} | ||
[[Category:IRL Shit]][[Category:Old]] | [[Category:IRL Shit]][[Category:Old]] | ||
Latest revision as of 22:16, 17 March 2025
The Phoebus Cartel is yet another example of why we cannot have nice things. Here's why:
The Phoebus cartel was an international cartel that controlled the manufacture and sale of incandescent light bulbs in much of Europe and North America between 1925 and 1939. The cartel took over market territories and lowered the useful life of such bulbs, which is commonly cited as an example of planned obsolescence. 
Originally, the cartel was supposed to last 30 years, but the outbreak of World War Two ended it's control. However, the standards that were in place were never changed.
The cartel’s grip on the lightbulb market lasted only into the 1930s. Its far more enduring legacy was to engineer a shorter life span for the incandescent lightbulb. By early 1925, this became codified at 1,000 hours for a pear-shaped household bulb, a marked reduction from the 1,500 to 2,000 hours that had previously been common. Cartel members rationalized this approach as a trade-off: Their lightbulbs were of a higher quality, more efficient, and brighter burning than other bulbs. They also cost a lot more.
further reading
- A Breeding Ground for Corruption: The Lighting Industry at the Turn of the Century
- A tale of shadowy agreements and dimmed lights
- the phoebus cartel was an oligopoly
- the lightbulb conspiracy
- byron the bulb - Thomas Pynchon created a character called "Byron the Bulb," who was thought to have been the first exposure of the Phoebus Cartel.
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