Good Bad Billionaire

Bernard Arnault: The wolf in cashmere

<p>The rise and rise of the French entrepreneur who vies with Elon Musk for the title of richest person in the world. Bernard Arnault is the head of luxury brand conglomerate LVMH, a house of brands that owns Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Moet, Hennessey, Christian Dior, Sephora, Tiffany &amp; Co, Marc Jacobs, Fenty and some 70 other luxury labels.</p><p>Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack trace Arnault's unstoppable ascent from scion of a northern French industrialist family, to Quebec and New York, then back to France where a ruthless takeover hoists him to the top. Is he good, bad, or just another billionaire?</p><p>The podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are a positive or negative force for the planet uncovers a story of boardroom dramas, hostile acquisitions and a fortune of over $200 billion.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Viktor Bout: Merchant of death

<p>Just who was the arms dealer prisoner swapped for US basketball star Brittney Griner? Viktor Bout was a man who built his empire selling arms to anyone who wanted them, and became a billionaire in the process.</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng piece together a tale from the secretive world of the international arms trade. They follow Bout's story from Tajikistan to Moscow, the UAE, across Africa and into custody in the USA. Then they judge him for his deeds.</p><p>The podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet investigates a murky story of post-Soviet wealth built on the sale of death and destruction.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

George Lucas: Box office billions

<p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing follow George Lucas' journey from cult filmmaker to master of a cinematic galaxy. Find out how he harnessed the force of Star Wars to make him one of the richest filmmakers in the world, despite directing just six movies.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Oprah Winfrey: Queen of all media

<p>How did Oprah become the richest African American of the 20th Century? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out, and then they judge her.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing follow Oprah Winfrey's rise from a poor young girl dressed in potato sacks, to the queen of all media. And find out what surprising item she bought with her first million.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Chuck Feeney: All duty

<p>The story of the billionaire who wasn't. When Charles "Chuck" Feeney first appeared on the world's rich lists in the 1980s, he had built a billion-dollar business selling duty free goods to tourists. But he'd also given most of his money away to charity.</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow Feeney's journey from Depression-era New Jersey through living the high life during the Jet Age to making $8 billion worth of donations to causes across the planet. Then they judge him - is he good, bad, or just another billionaire?</p><p>The podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet discusses a billionaire outlier with a life that spans history. Taking in the Korean War, the 20th Century tourist boom and the Irish peace process, Simon and Zing tell the tale of "the James Bond of philanthropy".</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p><p>Further reading: The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune by Conor O'Clery</p>

Adam Neumann: The cult of WeWork

<p>How did WeWork founder Adam Neumann oversee one of the most spectacular business fails in modern history? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out, and then they judge him.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing follow Adam Neumann's journey from a barefoot, tequila-shotting CEO who reimagined the millennial workplace, to a disgraced tech billionaire. Find out how he talked investors out of billions of dollars, and why it all came crashing down.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Sir Philip Green: King of the high street

<p>How did Sir Philip Green go from being a respected retail mogul to becoming the unacceptable face of capitalism? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out, and then they judge him.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing talk about a man who Simon has had a few run ins with. Hear what it's like to get a phone call in the middle of the night from Sir Philip, how he built his empire, and how it came crashing down.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Rihanna: Turning beauty into billions

<p>How did pop star Rihanna become the richest-ever person from Barbados? Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng explain, and then decide if she's good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing talk about the richest woman in music. Discover how Robyn Rihanna Fenty went from a modest childhood in the Caribbean to being signed by Jay-Z as a teenager before going on to found a beauty product empire that would take her earnings to over $1billion. And find out how much she spends on her hair along the way!</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Jeff Bezos: Get big fast

<p>How did Amazon boss Jeff Bezos become the first person worth over $100 billion? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng tell the story, from zero to his first million, and then on to the billions. Then they judge him - is he good, bad, or just another billionaire?</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's 2,668 billionaires made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing discuss a man who has climbed to the very top of the world's richest person lists. Find out what drove a boy born Jeffrey Jorgensen in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1964 to found one of the biggest corporations of the internet age and change the way the world shops.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email <a href="mailto:goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com">goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com</a> or drop us a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. </p><p>To find out more about the show and read our privacy notice, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire</p>

Introducing... Good Bad Billionaire

<p>Coming Tuesday 29th August...</p><p>The podcast that finds out how the richest people on the planet made their billions, and then judges them for it. Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire? Each episode BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist and podcaster Zing Tsjeng pick a billionaire and uncover their journey to the top. They learn how they made their money and what makes them tick, to find out what they tell us about our society. Millionaires are ten a penny these days, but billionaires have probably changed the world. From Rihanna to Jeff Bezos to Kim Kardashian to Bill Gates, we ask if billionaires are all relentless egomaniacs destined to end civilisation, or if they are geniuses, gods of our time to be worshipped? Or are they like everyone else, just with a bit more luck?</p>