The Deal
Tuesday, November 24, 
5:05 am

Cola war detente

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In an unprecedented move, PepsiCo set aside its differences with its "red" rival Coca-Cola to thwart a treasonous act by a subversive Coke employee. The thaw in the cola wars began in May when Coke employee Joya Williams along with two outside handlers not only stole top secret documents outlining Coke's next offensive in the cola wars, but even a vial of its new super weapon. The trio — taking a page from Dr. Evil — then offered to sell the information to Pepsi for more than $1 million. Rather than escalating tensions with its foe, Pepsi reached out to an enemy it once referred to as "the evil empire" and warned Coke about the traitor. It marks the first detente in the cola war's 30-year history. —Matthew Wurtzel

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