8 episodes

Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng find out how the richest people on the planet made their billions, and then they judge them. Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire?

Good Bad Billionaire BBC Podcasts

    • Business
    • 4.4 • 9 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
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Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng find out how the richest people on the planet made their billions, and then they judge them. Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire?

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    George Lucas: Box Office Billions

    George Lucas: Box Office Billions

    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, depsite directing just six movies.

    Oprah Winfrey: Queen of All Media

    Oprah Winfrey: Queen of All Media

    How did Oprah become the richest African American of the 20th Century and queen of all media? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out, and then they judge her.

    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 suprising item she bought with her first million.

    • 38 min
    Chuck Feeney: All Duty

    Chuck Feeney: All Duty

    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.

    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?

    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".

    • 37 min
    Adam Neumann: The Cult of WeWork

    Adam Neumann: The Cult of WeWork

    How did WeWork's founder 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.

    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.

    • 42 min
    Philip Green: King of the High Street

    Philip Green: King of the High Street

    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.

    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.

    • 40 min
    Rihanna: Turning Beauty into Billions

    Rihanna: Turning Beauty into Billions

    How did pop star Rihanna become the richest person from Barbados in all of history? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng tell the story, and then they decide if she's good, bad, or just another billionaire.

    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!

    • 35 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
9 Ratings

9 Ratings

TheRestIsSound ,

Infomercial Disguised as Journalism

From the get-go, “zero to a billion” is already untrue - most of these billions got a leg-up from their privileged backgrounds. What promises to be a deep-dive into each case ends up sounding like an infomercial for them.

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