Good Bad Billionaire Podcast
How did the richest people on the planet make their billions? From Selena Gomez to Jeff Bezos, and now we find out about dead billionaires like oil tycoon John D Rockefeller.
How did the richest people on the planet make their billions? From Selena Gomez to Jeff Bezos, and now we find out about five dead billionaires. Meet pioneers who helped build the United States of America: the world’s first billionaire John D Rockefeller, motor magnate Henry Ford, the aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes, Walmart founder Sam Walton, and Hetty Green - once dubbed “The Witch of Wall Street”. These iconic billionaires may be long dead, but their fingerprints are all over modern industry - in business trusts, IPOs, and mass production. They did it all first, but how did they make their billions?
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that analyses the minds, motives and money of some of the world's wealthiest individuals. Simon and Zing explore the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. From iconic celebrities and secretive CEOs to sporting legends and titans of technology, Simon and Zing find out how they made their money, and then it’s over to you to decide whether they’re good, bad, or just another billionaire.
Ever wondered how Taylor Swift went from country singer to money-spinner? How Amazon boss Jeff Bezos came to launch one of the biggest corporations of the internet age? And how six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan made his fortune with Nike? Trawl through the archives to find out how Selena Gomez went from a child Disney star to a mega-magnate of makeup and how Martha Stewart, the “original lifestyle influencer” became one of the most successful women in business. We explore the life of British inventor James Dyson and learn about some of the big names behind Minecraft, Marvel, WWE and the ultimate reality TV show – Big Brother.
Join us on a global journey, discovering all we can about some of the richest people on the planet. In the United States, there are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. Hear about billionaires in Russia, China, New Zealand, India, Nigeria and the UK. Exploring the lives of Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, El Chapo, Narayana Murthy and Kim Kardashian, this podcast paints a vivid picture of business, entrepreneurship, capitalism and how our world really works.
Discover how the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Peter Jackson, Doris Fisher and George Soros came to join the billionaires' club. Learn how Tiger Woods went from a child golfing prodigy to the world’s highest paid athlete, how a communist mime artist became the boss of fashion house Prada and how Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich came to buy an English football club. Find out how Mukesh Ambani became Asia’s richest person, and how Patrice Motsepe became the first black billionaire in a post-apartheid South Africa. Plus, we examine some of the biggest names behind the technology shaping our world – the founders of TikTok, Google, ChatGPT, Alibaba and Bumble.
But it's not just how these billionaires made their money; it's what they did with it next. Ultimately, Simon and Zing will help you decide whether they’re a force for good, bad, or somewhere in between. Join Simon Jack, the business editor for ѿý News, and journalist and author Zing Tsjeng as this podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, ultimately inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad, or just another billionaire?
We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire
Episodes to download
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Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Beer, brewing and biotech
Mon 2 Sep 2024
How India’s first female self-made billionaire built a pharmaceutical empire
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George Soros: 'The man who broke the Bank of England'
Mon 26 Aug 2024
A hedge fund tycoon who became one of the most successful investors ever
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Jerry Seinfeld: The world’s richest comedian
Mon 19 Aug 2024
How a hit sitcom made a New York stand-up the richest comedian in history
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Peter Jackson: Lord of the Films
Mon 12 Aug 2024
A blockbuster tale: How the Lord of the Rings director became a billionaire
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Miuccia Prada: ‘Ugly fashion’
Mon 5 Aug 2024
How a communist mime artist became the boss of one of the world’s biggest fashion houses
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Sergey Brin: Googling billions
Mon 29 Jul 2024
By founding Google, Sergey Brin helped shape the internet. He also got very, very rich
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Tiger Woods: Golf’s ‘golden boy’
Mon 29 Jul 2024
Golfing superstardom made Tiger Woods rich. Personal disasters nearly took it all away
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Mark Zuckerberg: Move fast and get rich
Tue 26 Mar 2024
How one social media site birthed an empire. The story of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
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Sir Richard Branson: Sky's the limit
Tue 19 Mar 2024
From The Exorcist to 400 companies: How music sent Sir Richard Branson into space
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Man U mogul
Tue 12 Mar 2024
He's spent big on Manchester United, but how did Sir Jim Ratcliffe become a billionaire?
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Bernie Ecclestone: Fast money
Tue 5 Mar 2024
How Bernie Ecclestone won control of Formula One, and how it all came crashing down
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Gina Rinehart: The other Iron Lady
Tue 27 Feb 2024
How Gina Rinehart amassed a $30 billion fortune to become Australia's richest person
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Charles Koch: Dark money’s slick operator
Tue 20 Feb 2024
How oilman Charles Koch and his feuding family turned black gold into dark money
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Taylor Swift: Swiftonomics
Tue 13 Feb 2024
From country songs to private legal battles, how Taylor Swift became a billionaire
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Warren Buffett: The oracle of Omaha
Tue 6 Feb 2024
How Warren Buffett became the richest investor ever after buying his first shares at 11
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NR Narayana Murthy: India's IT innovator
Tue 30 Jan 2024
The father of India's IT boom, and the father-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
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Rupert Murdoch: The Succession prequel
Tue 23 Jan 2024
How Rupert Murdoch turned a failing Australian newspaper into a global media empire.
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El Chapo: Cocaine kingpin
Tue 16 Jan 2024
The story of Mexican drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, better known as El Chapo
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Jay-Z: A business, man
Tue 9 Jan 2024
How hip-hop’s first billionaire, Jay-Z, went from dealing grams to winning Grammys
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Michael Bloomberg: Market master
Tue 12 Dec 2023
How did being fired from Wall Street lead Michael Bloomberg to a $96 billion fortune?
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Patrick Soon-Shiong: Cures for cash
Tue 5 Dec 2023
Why was biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong sued by his brother... and Cher?
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Bill Gates: Software hardman
Tue 28 Nov 2023
Bill Gates was the richest person in the world for more than a decade
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Sam Bankman-Fried with Michael Lewis
Tue 21 Nov 2023
The spectacular rise and fall of the FTX crypto empire, with special guest Michael Lewis.
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Denise Coates: Ultimate gambler
Tue 14 Nov 2023
How Bet 365 boss Denise Coates gambled it all to become the world's highest paid woman
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Michael Jordan: Most valuable player
Tue 7 Nov 2023
How basketball superstar Michael Jordan became the world's first billionaire athlete
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Kim Kardashian: Breaking the internet
Tue 31 Oct 2023
From leaked sex tape to business mogul, how Kim Kardashian leveraged fame for money
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Bernard Arnault: The wolf in cashmere
Tue 24 Oct 2023
French entrepreneur Bernard Arnault vies with Elon Musk to be the world's richest person
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Viktor Bout: Merchant of death
Tue 17 Oct 2023
How Viktor Bout made billions selling weapons to just about anyone who wanted them
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George Lucas: Box office billions
Tue 10 Oct 2023
How George Lucas became a billionaire filmmaker, despite directing just six movies
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Oprah Winfrey: Queen of all media
Tue 3 Oct 2023
How Oprah became the richest African American of the 20th Century, and queen of all media