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How did the richest people on the planet make their billions? Find out with the Good Bad Billionaire podcast - now with a chance for you to have your say. Make up your minds whether you think they are good, bad or just another billionaire.
Latest episodes: Luciano Benetton and Elon Musk.
In each episode of Good Bad Billionaire, 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 Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.
From acting-giant turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, to Spanx-founder Sara Blakely, Simon and Zing rate their wealth, power, philanthropy 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 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 Sir James Dyson, and learn about some of the big names behind Snapchat, Minecraft, Marvel, ChatGPT, Google and Alibaba, 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 of comment 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
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
|
Elon Musk: Money, memes and Mars
|
Dec 08, 2025 |
|
Luciano Benetton: Famous fashion to cultural controversy
|
Dec 01, 2025 |
|
Tyler Perry: Homeless to Hollywood entrepreneur
|
Nov 24, 2025 |
|
Lakshmi Mittal: King of steel
|
Nov 17, 2025 |
|
Michael O’Leary: Ryanair’s cost-cutting king
|
Nov 10, 2025 |
|
Diane Hendricks: Building a fortune
|
Nov 03, 2025 |
|
John Fredriksen: Tanker king
|
Oct 27, 2025 |
|
Evan Spiegel: Snapchat fratboy
|
Oct 20, 2025 |
|
Tatyana Kim: Russia’s online retail queen
|
Oct 13, 2025 |
|
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Muscles, movies, money
|
Oct 06, 2025 |
|
Coming soon: More tales of the mega-rich
|
Sep 19, 2025 |
|
Encore - Film Stories: George Lucas and Peter Jackson
|
Sep 08, 2025 |
|
The dead billionaires: What do you think?
|
Aug 27, 2025 |
|
Hetty Green: The 'witch' of Wall Street
|
Aug 04, 2025 |
|
Sam Walton: Walmart’s founder
|
Jul 28, 2025 |
|
Howard Hughes: Eccentric aviator
|
Jul 21, 2025 |
|
Henry Ford: Putting the world on wheels
|
Jul 14, 2025 |
|
John D Rockefeller: The first billionaire
|
Jul 07, 2025 |
|
Coming soon: Good Bad Dead Billionaire
|
Jun 23, 2025 |
|
Eike Batista: Golden grifter
|
Jun 02, 2025 |
|
LeBron James: King of the court
|
May 26, 2025 |
|
Masayoshi Son: High-tech gambler
|
May 19, 2025 |
|
Strive Masiyiwa: Connecting a continent
|
May 12, 2025 |
|
Ike Perlmutter: Marvel’s empire builder
|
May 05, 2025 |
|
Selena Gomez: Actress, singer, beauty mogul
|
Apr 28, 2025 |
|
Orlando Bravo: Tech dealmaker
|
Apr 21, 2025 |
|
Vince McMahon: Wrestling's ringmaster
|
Apr 14, 2025 |
|
Markus Persson: Minecraft maker
|
Apr 07, 2025 |
|
John de Mol: Big Brother’s daddy
|
Mar 31, 2025 |
|
Sir James Dyson: Sucking up the cash
|
Mar 24, 2025 |
|
Martha Stewart: The original lifestyle influencer
|
Mar 17, 2025 |
|
Encore - Chuck Feeney: All duty
|
Feb 17, 2025 |
|
Encore - Taylor Swift: Swiftonomics
|
Feb 03, 2025 |
|
Peter Thiel: Paypal mafioso
|
Dec 02, 2024 |
|
Doris Fisher: Don’t mind The Gap
|
Nov 25, 2024 |
|
Carlos Slim Helú: Telecom titan
|
Nov 18, 2024 |
|
Roman Abramovich: Premier League oligarch
|
Nov 11, 2024 |
|
Mukesh Ambani: Asia’s richest person
|
Nov 04, 2024 |
|
Patrice Motsepe: Mining magnate
|
Oct 28, 2024 |
|
Jack Ma: China's ecommerce CEO
|
Oct 21, 2024 |
|
Yvon Chouinard: A $3 billion giveaway
|
Oct 14, 2024 |
|
Whitney Wolfe Herd: Dating app entrepreneur
|
Oct 07, 2024 |
|
Aliko Dangote: Africa’s richest person
|
Sep 30, 2024 |
|
Sam Altman: ChatGPT and the AI revolution
|
Sep 23, 2024 |
|
Zhang Yiming: TikTok’s tech boss
|
Sep 16, 2024 |
|
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Beer, brewing and biotech
|
Sep 09, 2024 |
|
George Soros: 'The man who broke the Bank of England'
|
Sep 02, 2024 |
|
Jerry Seinfeld: The world’s richest comedian
|
Aug 26, 2024 |
|
Peter Jackson: Lord of the Films
|
Aug 19, 2024 |
|
Miuccia Prada: ‘Ugly fashion’
|
Aug 12, 2024 |
|
Sergey Brin: Googling billions
|
Aug 05, 2024 |
|
Tiger Woods: Golf’s ‘golden boy’
|
Jul 29, 2024 |
|
Mark Zuckerberg: Move fast and get rich
|
Mar 26, 2024 |
|
Sir Richard Branson: Sky's the limit
|
Mar 19, 2024 |
|
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Man U mogul
|
Mar 12, 2024 |
|
Bernie Ecclestone: Fast money
|
Mar 05, 2024 |
|
Gina Rinehart: The other Iron Lady
|
Feb 27, 2024 |
|
Charles Koch: Dark money’s slick operator
|
Feb 20, 2024 |
|
Taylor Swift: Swiftonomics
|
Feb 13, 2024 |
|
Warren Buffett: The oracle of Omaha
|
Feb 06, 2024 |
|
NR Narayana Murthy: India's IT innovator
|
Jan 30, 2024 |
|
Rupert Murdoch: The Succession prequel
|
Jan 23, 2024 |
|
El Chapo: Cocaine kingpin
|
Jan 16, 2024 |
|
Jay-Z: A business, man
|
Jan 09, 2024 |
|
Michael Bloomberg: Market master
|
Dec 12, 2023 |
|
Patrick Soon-Shiong: Cures for cash
|
Dec 05, 2023 |
|
Bill Gates: Software hardman
|
Nov 28, 2023 |
|
Sam Bankman-Fried with Michael Lewis
|
Nov 21, 2023 |
|
Denise Coates: Ultimate gambler
|
Nov 14, 2023 |
|
Michael Jordan: Most valuable player
|
Nov 07, 2023 |
|
Kim Kardashian: Breaking the internet
|
Oct 31, 2023 |
|
Bernard Arnault: The wolf in cashmere
|
Oct 24, 2023 |
|
Viktor Bout: Merchant of death
|
Oct 17, 2023 |
|
George Lucas: Box office billions
|
Oct 10, 2023 |
|
Oprah Winfrey: Queen of all media
|
Oct 03, 2023 |
|
Chuck Feeney: All duty
|
Sep 26, 2023 |
|
Adam Neumann: The cult of WeWork
|
Sep 19, 2023 |
|
Sir Philip Green: King of the high street
|
Sep 12, 2023 |
|
Rihanna: Turning beauty into billions
|
Sep 05, 2023 |
|
Jeff Bezos: Get big fast
|
Aug 29, 2023 |
|
Introducing... Good Bad Billionaire
|
Aug 22, 2023 |