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Holiday Sales Boom Brings Hoverboard Fails

Published December 28, 2015 at 12:52 PM EST
A boy rides a hoverboard on the day after Christmas in San Pedro, California. Reports of some hoverboards, also known as self-balancing, two-wheeled scooters catching fire have led to an investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)
A boy rides a hoverboard on the day after Christmas in San Pedro, California. Reports of some hoverboards, also known as self-balancing, two-wheeled scooters catching fire have led to an investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the holiday season’s most popular gifts is causing some serious headaches.

New York City has banned the use of hoverboards on city streets. Crashes of the new toys are sending people to the emergency room. Airlines are scrambling to deal with potentially dangerous battery explosions. And, as a result, social media is buzzing about the hashtag #Hoverboardfails.

Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti discusses the trend with Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson.

Guest

  • Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic. He tweets @DKThomp.

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