Show Your Work.
Every claim, statistic and historical fact in a HOW IT GOT BIG documentary is sourced. This page explains how we research, what we rely on, and how to report errors.
Sources We Use
Primary Company Material
Annual reports, SEC filings, founder writings, official records, product documentation.
Government Documents
Regulatory filings, court records, public records, government archives where relevant.
Historical Archives
Library collections, newspaper archives, industry records, trade association materials.
Contemporary Reporting
Journalism published at the time of events — not retrospective accounts. Specifically useful for capturing conditions and reactions in the period.
Books
Biographies, industry histories, academic works. Citation includes author, publisher and year.
Interviews
When conducted, subjects are identified by name and role in the story credits.
Trade Publications
Industry trade press from the relevant period. Useful for operational and competitive context.
Court Records
Used when directly relevant to the story. Cited with case name and jurisdiction.
Research Methodology
Stories are developed in phases: background research to establish the factual skeleton; source gathering to document claims; script development to structure the narrative; review to check claims against sources; and publication.
Where sources conflict, we note the conflict. Where information is unavailable or unverifiable, we say so. Gaps in the documentary record are identified as gaps, not filled with inference presented as fact.
All placeholder data used during production — including statistics marked with [PLACEHOLDER] throughout the site — will be replaced with sourced, verified information before publication. Placeholder content that cannot be verified will be removed entirely.
Corrections Policy
When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly and transparently. Corrections are noted in the relevant story with the date of correction and a description of what changed.
To report an error, contact us at:
Please include the story name, the specific claim you believe is incorrect, and the source or evidence supporting your correction. We will respond to all substantive correction requests.
Editorial Independence
HOW IT GOT BIG is independently produced. Story selection, framing, and conclusions are editorial decisions made without input from the companies we cover.
We do not accept payment for story coverage, nor do we coordinate with companies to review content before publication.
Image & Footage Standards
All images and footage used in HOW IT GOT BIG productions are either licensed for our use, in the public domain, or used under applicable fair use provisions where appropriate. We maintain documentation of licensing for all visual materials.
Archive images on this site are placeholders only. All placeholder images are clearly identified as such. No placeholder images are represented as actual historical photographs.