Every investigation, newest first.
Aug 19, 2026
Why it is so hard to prove that the new version is worse. By way of a five-hundred-year-old office for inspecting cloth, a fraud investigation from 1579, and a warning from Adam Smith.
Aug 12, 2026
The industry got so good at building cars that it stopped making its money on them.
Aug 5, 2026
No sponsorships. No affiliate links. No outside money. The rules Worse on Purpose runs on, written in public, for readers to enforce.
Jul 29, 2026
Only two major running brands still own their factories. The rest rent from the same pool of contractors. Many do so with no commitment past the current order.
Jul 22, 2026
An ode to Pirsig: What quality is and how it is degraded.
Jul 15, 2026
One buyout firm quietly collected Pyrex, Corelle, Instant Pot, and Oneida. Farberware is a name on a 200-year lease. And the pans still worth buying.
Jul 8, 2026
A final seat cost £83 at the last Euros. FIFA is charging £3,119 for this one.
Jul 1, 2026
How the things you buy get worse, who profits from it, and how to tell before you pay.
Jun 24, 2026
It started as a flooded little store the neighbors bailed out by hand. It became an arm of Amazon that scores its own workers on how likely they are to unionize.
Jun 11, 2026
Dozens of brands, five or six owners, and a fridge built to quit just after the warranty does.