Good Bad Billionaire Podcast
How did the richest people on the planet make their billions?
How did the planet's richest people make their billions? From iconic celebrities and secretive CEOs to sporting legends and titans of technology, Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng find out, and then decide whether they think 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?
Good Bad Billionaire is here to analyse 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.
In Season three, 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. Trawl through the archives to 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 consider whether they think these people are 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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Orlando Bravo: Tech dealmaker
Mon 14 Apr 2025
Orlando Bravo failed to become a tennis pro, but private equity made him a billionaire
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Vince McMahon: Wrestling's ringmaster
Mon 7 Apr 2025
Vince McMahon turned professional wrestling into a global phenomenon
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Markus Persson: Minecraft maker
Mon 31 Mar 2025
How did Markus Persson create Minecraft, the most successful computer game ever?
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John de Mol: Big Brother’s daddy
Mon 31 Mar 2025
By reinventing reality TV, John de Mol made television history and a billion dollars
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Sir James Dyson: Sucking up the cash
Mon 24 Mar 2025
How a blocked vacuum cleaner led to a billion-dollar idea for inventor James Dyson
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Martha Stewart: The original lifestyle influencer
Mon 17 Mar 2025
Martha Stewart, the homemaker who sold perfection to America
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Encore - Chuck Feeney: All duty
Mon 17 Feb 2025
Revisiting the story of Chuck Feeney, a billionaire who gave it all away
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Encore - Taylor Swift: Swiftonomics
Mon 3 Feb 2025
A brief update after Taylor Swift's Eras tour ended, and another chance to hear her story
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Peter Thiel: Paypal mafioso
Mon 25 Nov 2024
How Peter Thiel made his fortune from huge tech companies then renounced Silicon Valley
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Doris Fisher: Don’t mind The Gap
Mon 18 Nov 2024
How American businesswoman Doris Fisher and her husband founded a clothing empire
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Carlos Slim Helú: Telecom titan
Mon 11 Nov 2024
Mexican telecom company boss Carlos Slim Helú was once the richest person on Earth
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Roman Abramovich: Premier League oligarch
Mon 4 Nov 2024
How Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich got rich, then got sanctioned
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Mukesh Ambani: Asia’s richest person
Mon 28 Oct 2024
How Indian multinational conglomerate boss Mukesh Ambani built Asia's biggest fortune
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Patrice Motsepe: Mining magnate
Mon 21 Oct 2024
How Patrice Motsepe became the first black billionaire in post-apartheid South Africa
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Jack Ma: China's ecommerce CEO
Mon 14 Oct 2024
How Jack Ma brought ecommerce to China by creating online mega-platform Alibaba
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Yvon Chouinard: A $3 billion giveaway
Mon 7 Oct 2024
The founder of sporting apparel firm Patagonia made billions - then gave it all away
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Whitney Wolfe Herd: Dating app entrepreneur
Mon 30 Sep 2024
How the woman who founded dating apps Bumble and Tinder was briefly a billionaire
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Aliko Dangote: Africa’s richest person
Mon 23 Sep 2024
Aliko Dangote started a cement business, and went on to become Africa’s richest person
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Sam Altman: ChatGPT and the AI revolution
Mon 16 Sep 2024
Sam Altman made a billion investing in tech start-ups, but made his name through AI
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Zhang Yiming: TikTok’s tech boss
Mon 9 Sep 2024
How Chinese tech company ByteDance became a multi-billiondollar social media business
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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?