Cargurus - From Harvard Square Townhouse to Automotive Marketplace Disruptor - $CARG

From a cramped Harvard Square townhouse in 2006 to a public company with billions in market value, this deep-dive traces how Langley Steinert turned a TripAdvisor mindset—use data to bring transparency to an opaque market—into CarGurus, a search-and-algorithm-driven marketplace that made "Deal Ratings" and SEO its competitive edge; it’s a story of smart flywheels, razor-focused engineering, a brutal 2022 reckoning when risky moves into transactions nearly toppled the business, and a disciplined pullback that refocused the company on its profitable core while still betting on AI and dealer tools for growth.

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Transcript - https://empor.top/us/CARG

• I. Introduction & Episode Roadmap
• II. Langley Steinert & The TripAdvisor Foundation
• III. The Birth of CarGurus: Solving Information Asymmetry
• IV. The Marketplace Flywheel: Getting Both Sides On Board
• V. Growth & Scaling: Becoming the #1 Automotive Site
• VI. The 2017 IPO: Public Market Success
• VII. The Inflection Point: COVID & The Used Car Boom
• VIII. The Crisis: 2022 Collapse & Leadership Turmoil
• IX. The Turnaround & Digital Wholesale Evolution
• X. The Competitive Landscape: Who Are The Real Threats?
• XI. Business Model Deep Dive: How CarGurus Makes Money
• XII. Playbook: Strategic & Investing Lessons
• XIII. Porter's 5 Forces Analysis
• XIV. Hamilton's 7 Powers Analysis
• XV. Bull vs. Bear Case
• XVI. The Road Ahead: Future Scenarios
• XVII. Epilogue & Reflections