Stuff You Should Know

Podbit · Stuff You Should Know

Short Stuff: Phone Books

Explore episode Aug 5, 2026
Business
AT&T's $7 Billion Phone Book Monopoly

Short Stuff: Phone Books · Aug 5, 2026 Business

AT&T made $7 billion in 1986 — about $13 billion today — just from charging businesses to appear in the Yellow Pages. It was a government-sanctioned monopoly printing money, and when it broke up, dozens of regional publishers rushed in to grab a share.

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