Entrepreneurship
Good Bad Billionaire
BBC World Service
How did the richest people on the planet make their billions? Find out with Good Bad Billionaire. New episodes include: Beyoncé and Steven Spielberg. Make up your minds whether you think they are good, bad or just another billionaire.In each episode, BBC Business Editor Simon Jack and journalist and author Zing Tsjeng analyse the lives of the super-rich, and try to understand what motivates billionaires like Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.New season: From singing superstar Beyoncé, to footballing legend Cristiano Ronaldo, Simon and Zing will rate their wealth, power, legacy and associated controversies, putting them to the test with a playful, totally unscientific scorecard. Then they hand the verdict over to you: are they good, bad, or simply billionaires?Get in touch by email and let us know what you think! The contact details are at the end of these show notes.Ever wondered how Taylor Swift went from country singer to money-spinner? How tennis ace Roger Federer turned sporting prowess into amazing business opportunities? Or how Mr Beast and Khaby Lame became some of the wealthiest people on the planet by posting on YouTube and TikTok? 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 Sir James Dyson, and learn about some of the big names behind Snapchat, Minecraft, Marvel, ChatGPT, Google and Amazon, which shape the world we live in today.In a special season, we have also told the stories of the 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”.It's not just how billionaires made their money; it's what they did with it next.So, what do you think? Make up your own mind. Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire? Let us know your thoughts, and we may include your comments and suggestions in a future episode. If you do not wish for your comments, first name or location to be read out, please say that in your email or message, or mark it confidential.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 Learn English 96
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Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Beer, brewing and biotech
Sep 9, 2024 34 min<p>Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw built a pharmaceutical empire after failing to get a job brewing beer. She also overcame gender bias to become India’s first self-made female billionaire. Her company Biocon is now Asia's biggest insulin producer. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow her story, from a childhood living on a brewery compound in Bangalore to adventures in Australia and Ireland. How did Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw go from extracting enzymes from papaya fruit to mass-manufacturing medicines and being named among Time magazine's most influential people in the world? She calls herself an accidental entrepreneur; Simon and Zing decide whether they think she’s good, bad or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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George Soros: 'The man who broke the Bank of England'
Sep 2, 2024 46 min<p>George Soros escaped Nazi occupation in Hungary, before becoming one of the most successful investors in history. After making his name on Wall Street and setting up the hedge fund Quantum, he also become known as “the man who broke the Bank of England” after making a billion dollars in a day by “betting against” the pound. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng track the incredible life of one of the world’s most polarising billionaires, and find out how the philanthropist became the target of countless conspiracy theories. According to Soros himself, he’s “a little good, a little bad”. Ultimately, Simon and Zing decide whether they think he’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Jerry Seinfeld: The world’s richest comedian
Aug 26, 2024 37 min<p>Jerry Seinfeld has a life-long obsession with jokes, but his smash hit sitcom turned the New York stand-up into the richest comedian of all time. Seinfeld was the most watched programme in America when it ended in in 1998, but it’s what came next that made the real Jerry Seinfeld mega rich – streaming and syndication. Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng find out how transcendental meditation, a top Hollywood agent, the unexpected death of a parent and an “inability to act” all helped drive his spectacular success, before deciding if they think he’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Peter Jackson: Lord of the Films
Aug 19, 2024 46 min<p>How did Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson become one of only four filmmakers worth a billion dollars, and one of just three billionaires from New Zealand? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out how a childhood obsession with movies led to a booming film industry in Jackson’s homeland. From Bad Taste to King Kong and The Hobbit, he went from shooting home movies and directing low budget horror films to running a major special effects house and creating some of cinema's biggest hits. Simon and Zing look back at the life of a Wellywood legend, before deciding if they think he’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Miuccia Prada: ‘Ugly fashion’
Aug 12, 2024 41 min<p>How a communist mime artist became the billionaire boss of a luxury fashion house. Miuccia Prada changed her name, then made it famous with one of the runway’s biggest brands. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng explain how the Italian fashion designer turned her grandfather’s shop into a fashion powerhouse. Alongside her husband, she’s run her empire from Milan for over four decades, becoming known affectionately known as ‘the master of ugly’. Simon and Zing look back on her life before deciding if they think she’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Sergey Brin: Googling billions
Aug 5, 2024 47 min<p>By founding Google, tech titan Sergey Brin helped shape the internet. He also got very, very rich, as his company Alphabet became one of the biggest in the world. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng tell the story of the billionaire who partied on planes after escaping prejudice in Russia. Sergey Brin and his best friend Larry Page became two of history’s biggest tech giants by building the planet’s most popular search engine. How did their technology startup become one of the world's biggest companies? Simon and Zing find out, before deciding if they think he’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Tiger Woods: Golf’s ‘golden boy’
Jul 29, 2024 40 min<p>Golfing superstardom made him incredibly rich. Personal disasters nearly took it all away. How did Tiger Woods go from a child golfing prodigy to the world’s highest paid athlete for a whole decade? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng explain how one of the greatest golfers of all time broke barriers in his sport, winning 15 major golf championships and 82 PGA Tour events. He’s an inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame, won the Masters five times, the PGA Championship four times and both the Open and the US Open three times, as well as helping the US win the Ryder Cup. High-profile sponsorship deals and business ventures made him a billionaire, but then came affairs, car crashes and scandal. Simon and Zing track the spectacular rise of this global sporting superstar, then decide if they think he’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Mark Zuckerberg: Move fast and get rich
Mar 26, 2024 57 min<p>How one social media site birthed an empire. The story of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng take us from Zuckerberg's childhood to joining the billionaires' club at just 23, then on to his current status as one of the four richest people on the planet. He dropped out of Harvard to mix with other founders in Silicon Valley, and still retains absolute control over his company, now called Meta.</p><p>From buying up Instagram and WhatsApp to getting investments from Peter Thiel and Bill Gates, Simon and Zing trace Zuckerberg's spectacular rise. Plus discover what was true and what was made up in David Fincher's film about him, The Social Network.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Sir Richard Branson: Sky's the limit
Mar 19, 2024 49 min<p>From The Exorcist to 400 companies: how music sent Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson into space. He's an island owning adventurer, but he's incredibly shy. He's the record label owner who doesn't even like music. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack try to understand a man of many paradoxes and ask whether he's good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Man U mogul
Mar 12, 2024 48 min<p>He's spent a billion on Manchester United, but how did Jim Ratcliffe become a billionaire?</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng learn how the Premier League club's new co-owner got rich via some daring investments and impressive acquisitions. They explain how he made his name in petrochemicals before founding Ineos, one of the industry's biggest conglomerates.</p><p>Simon and Zing also discover that he mortgaged his own house to fund a business, as well as uncovering his investments in cycling, sailing and, of course, football. Then they decide if he's good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Bernie Ecclestone: Fast money
Mar 5, 2024 50 min<p>How Bernie Ecclestone won control of Formula One, and how it all came crashing down. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng trace a unique rise and fall. From modest beginnings selling second hand cars, Ecclestone built Formula One into a one-man empire worth billions. How did he go from the very top to tax fraud, and is he good, bad, or just another billionaire?</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Gina Rinehart: The other Iron Lady
Feb 27, 2024 51 min<p>How mining magnate Gina Rinehart amassed a $30 billion fortune to become Australia's richest person, but also earned a reputation for being highly litigious.</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng uncover a woman who has taken legal action against her father's widow, her own biographer and the biggest mining company in the world, and who has been sued by her own children, twice.</p><p>They follow Rinehart's story from her outspoken father's discovery of huge deposits of iron ore in Western Australia to inheriting the business and turning it into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse. It's a story that takes in secessionist politics, indigenous land rights and lots and lots of family feuds.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Charles Koch: Dark money’s slick operator
Feb 20, 2024 38 min<p>How oilman Charles Koch turned black gold into dark money. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng investigate the feuding family that has shaped US politics for decades. The Koch family battles made “Dallas and Dynasty look like a playpen” with brother against brother, and even twin against twin. But Charles Koch succeeded as heir to the oil fortune, and spent the billions earnt from oil creating a right wing political network dubbed 'The Kochtopus'. So is he good, bad or just another billionaire?</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Taylor Swift: Swiftonomics
Feb 13, 2024 54 min<p>Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack uncover the huge public feuds and private legal battles that made the most famous woman in the world. She can change the economy, but is Taylor Swift good, bad, or just another billionaire?</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Warren Buffett: The oracle of Omaha
Feb 6, 2024 55 min<p>How Warren Buffett became the richest investor in history, amassing a fortune of over $120 billion, without moving from the Nebraska home he bought in 1958.</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng discover how Buffett earned his first money as a six year old, bought his first shares at 11 and filed his first tax return at 13. He went on to formulate his own investment philosophy on the way to becoming incredibly rich.</p><p>Simon and Zing reveal Buffett's biggest deals and pithiest phrases from his decades of investing, as well as his unconventional love life. Then they decide if he's good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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NR Narayana Murthy: India's IT innovator
Jan 30, 2024 53 min<p>How NR Narayana Murthy, now known as the father-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, first became known as the father of India's IT boom.</p><p>Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack explain how Murthy made Infosys, the technology company he founded with six friends and some cash borrowed from his wife, a world leader in outsourcing.</p><p>Simon and Zing reveal how 20th Century Indian politics, an early passion for computers, and a shocking experience behind the Iron Curtain all played a role in making Murthy spectacularly rich. Then they decide if he's good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Rupert Murdoch: The Succession prequel
Jan 23, 2024 52 min<p>How Rupert Murdoch inherited an Australian newspaper and turned it into a global media empire. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng tell the origin story of the 92-year-old media magnate. He’s been called ‘evil’ and ‘a cancer’; for others, he’s the champion of the free press. He’s also one of the most powerful people on the planet. So which Rupert Murdoch is it: is he good bad, or just another billionaire?</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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El Chapo: Cocaine kingpin
Jan 16, 2024 51 min<p>The story of Mexican drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, better known as El Chapo, the leader of one of the world’s most prolific, violent and powerful drug cartels.</p><p>BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow El Chapo from childhood in the Mexican mountain region of Sinaloa to the very top of the drug business, and into the New York prison cell where he now resides.</p><p>Simon and Zing reveal how El Chapo innovated with tunnels along the US-Mexican border, escaped prison twice, and used extreme violence to gain power. Then they are given the simple task of deciding if he's good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Jay-Z: A business, man
Jan 9, 2024 53 min<p>How hip-hop’s first billionaire went from grams to Grammys. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack chart Jay-Z's meteoric rise from drug dealing in the projects to sipping champagne in a private jet. Jay-Z turned his aspirational lifestyle into cash, rapping about the champagne that he owned. And the private jet? A gift from his wife, Beyonce.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Zing and Simon judge the man who shot his brother, who signed Kanye West, whose adultery gave use Lemonade, and who has been called the greatest rapper of all time.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Michael Bloomberg: Market master
Dec 12, 2023 49 min<p>How did being fired from Wall Street lead Michael Bloomberg to a $96 billion fortune and a failed presidential campaign? Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack try to understand this man of contradictions. A brash playboy and thoughtful data nerd, a lifelong Democrat who became the Republican mayor of New York, a plutocrat who spent $1 billion self-funding a short-lived presidential campaign, and one of the world’s greatest philanthropists.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Zing and Simon judge a man whose eponymous Bloomberg terminal sits on desks throughout the financial world, and helps make people incredibly rich.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Patrick Soon-Shiong: Cures for cash
Dec 5, 2023 40 min<p>Why was biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong sued by his brother... and Cher? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng trace his journey from apartheid South Africa to the upper echelons of LA society.</p><p>He’s tried to cure cancer, diabetes, and Covid-19, and along the way rubbed shoulders with some of the most powerful people on the planet: Joe Biden, the Pope, and Donald Trump. He's made his fortune selling drugs to sick people, but his results have been described as "controversial", "hype" and even “old wine in a new bottle”.</p><p>In the podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing judge a man who made cold hard cash from controversial cures.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Bill Gates: Software hardman
Nov 28, 2023 1h 1m<p>Microsoft boss Bill Gates spent more than a decade as the richest person in the world, after becoming the youngest self-made billionaire in history.</p><p>Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack follow his journey from venerated, nerdy entrepreneur to ruthless monopolist, then from generous philanthropist to conspiracy theory magnet and divisive public figure.</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 reveals the brilliant technology, the crucial deals, and the legal difficulties along the path to building a software empire.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Sam Bankman-Fried with Michael Lewis
Nov 21, 2023 59 min<p>The spectacular rise and incredible fall of crypto empire FTX and its unconventional founder, Sam Bankman-Fried - a billionaire wannabe philanthropist now facing decades behind bars.</p><p>Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack could not resist inviting special guest Michael Lewis (author of Liar's Poker, Moneyball and The Big Short) to tell this story. Michael was at the scene as Bankman-Fried's crypto trading business crumbled and the law closed in.</p><p>They trace his life from childhood in Californian academia through his rapid accumulation of wealth – surpassed only by the speed at which it was lost – and on into his prison cell. Then they decide if he is good, bad, or just another billionaire.</p><p>This programme was edited on 4 December 2023 to correct a factual error.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Denise Coates: Ultimate gambler
Nov 14, 2023 46 min<p>How did an accountant from Stoke-on-Trent gamble it all to become the world's highest paid woman? Denise Coates founded online betting company Bet365 and soon became a billionaire. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng trace the journey of this elusive figure. Geographically she's not travelled far, becoming the biggest employer in her hometown of Stoke-on-Trent. But as a businesswoman she's dominated the online gambling market globally, earning an annual salary that peaked at £421 million. In the podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing judge the woman who made billions from betting.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Michael Jordan: Most valuable player
Nov 7, 2023 53 min<p>How did basketball's biggest superstar become the world's first athlete billionaire? Michael Jordan turned his prodigious talent on the court into a money-making machine.</p><p>Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack trace Jordan's career from his childhood in North Carolina, through brilliance as a college basketball player, to his all-conquering phase with the Chicago Bulls and beyond into the billions. </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 reveals how much that deal with Nike contributed to his wealth, and what other business ventures made the ultimate MVP so rich.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Kim Kardashian: Breaking the internet
Oct 31, 2023 50 min<p>How does the subject of a leaked sex tape become a billionaire business mogul? Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack find out how Kim Kardashian leveraged her fame and sold her privacy to earn billions, breaking the internet along the way.</p><p>They follow her money making schemes, from selling celebrities' clothes online and styling Paris Hilton, to multi-million dollar weddings and public family feuds. But they discover that Kim actually made her billions in a much more traditional way.</p><p>She's one of the most famous faces in the world, loved and loathed by millions. In the podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet, Simon and Zing judge Kim Kardashian.</p><p>We’d love to hear your feedback. Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Bernard Arnault: The wolf in cashmere
Oct 24, 2023 43 min<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 & 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 goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Viktor Bout: Merchant of death
Oct 17, 2023 36 min<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 goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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George Lucas: Box office billions
Oct 10, 2023 40 min<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 goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>
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Oprah Winfrey: Queen of all media
Oct 3, 2023 38 min<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 goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com 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>