How “United Breaks Guitars” United the World
Listen Now
In This Episode
- Dave talks about the story behind the “United Breaks Guitars” videos from 2009. The three discuss the deeper meanings behind the videos’ popularity and how it affected United Airlines as a company.
- He also talks about how he got started on writing his book, “United Breaks Guitars: The Power of One Voice in the Age of Social Media”
- The three talk about the way social media let’s people amplify their voices, and how that can be good or bad.
Episode Breakdown

Dave Carroll
Musician, Author
- Dave Carroll started the band “Sons of Maxwell” with his brother Don in 1989.
- In 2008, Dave’s guitar was broken while in the custody of United Airlines during a flight. The Airline refused to take any responsibility for the incident.
- In 2009, Sons of Maxwell became famous overnight after their trilogy of “United Breaks Guitars” music videos went viral, chronicling the events surrounding the broken guitar.
- Dave has since written a book about the incident and what it shows us about the power of social media.
