Good Bad Billionaire

The pandemic hit and Khaby Lame lost his factory job. Less than three years later, he was the world’s most-followed person on TikTok.

Khaby Lame has turned his silent online persona and trademark shrug into a global comedy empire. In early 2026, a deal for his company valued his fortune at billions. So how did the so-called king of TikTok get to wear his crown?

Journalist Zing Tseng and BBC business editor Simon Jack chart Khab...

Gautam Adani’s businesses span almost every part of life in India. From energy to food, ports to mining, and drinks to weapons, the Adani group has widespread influence over millions of people day to day. From his early career as a diamond trader, Gautam built a reputation as always looking for the next opportunity. But as well as a huge pyramid of business interests, he also has cultural and political power, leading to a clo...

Nelson Peltz made his money via some contentious methods - junk bonds, corporate raids, leveraged buyouts and activist investing - but he is most famous because his daughter Nicola married a Beckham.

BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow Peltz’s career from dropping out of school to become a ski bum, to making a billion investing in some of the some of the world’s most famous brands, including ...

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is a billionaire Saudi prince who insists he’s self-made. He champions women's rights, yet is a member of one of the world’s most traditional ruling families. He built his fortune betting on western giants like Citicorp and Apple, but is a prominent member of the House of Saud. Journalist Zing Tseng and BBC business editor Simon Jack trace Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's journey to becoming one o...

As COO of Facebook, then Meta, Sheryl Sandberg is a rarity among billionaires. She made her money as an employee rather than as a founder, creator, or company owner.

BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow Sandberg’s career, from running aerobics classes in her teens to overseeing one of the world’s biggest corporations. She spent time in government before taking a role at startup called Google, ...

It's a classic British rags-to-riches story: Alan Michael Sugar went from selling car aerials from the back of his minivan to becoming one of the most recognisable faces of UK business. First with his consumer electrics company Amstrad, then as the frontman of the UK version of The Apprentice.

Journalist Zing Tseng and BBC Business Editor Simon Jack explore Lord Sugar's many entrepreneurial avenues: from consumer electronics to foot...

From a small Brazilian butcher’s shop to the world’s largest meat empire, Wesley and Joesley Batista built a global powerhouse feeding millions every day. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack trace the Batista brothers' rise from teenage entrepreneurs learning the family trade to billionaires dominating the global food supply. But behind their staggering growth lies another story - a sprawling cor...

Tao Huabi grew up in childhood poverty in the province of Guizhou in southwestern China, but would one day become a household name in her home country. Her Lao Gan Ma brand, famous for its crispy chilli oil, is a staple in China and fast becoming one globally.

BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng track the remarkable story of how an illiterate widow fought to survive single motherhood and become one of the most...

He enjoyed a spectacular rise in The Beatles, and went on to become a gold-plated member of British music royalty. Hear how Paul McCartney, one of the last century’s defining songwriters, became the UK's first billionaire rock star along the way. But how much of Paul McCartney’s cash comes from royalties, tours or his ownership of other artists’ back catalogues?

BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Ts...

As co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings is responsible for one of the most recognisable brands in the world. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng recount how he evolved Netflix from a DVD-by-mail rental service to the streaming giant responsible for bringing Stranger Things, Bridgerton and Squid Game to our screens. Along the way, Netflix transformed the way we watched TV, and disrupted the world of film distri...

Roger Federer isn’t just one of the greatest tennis players of all time - he’s also one of the richest. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow his journey: from a fiery, racket-smashing junior in Switzerland to the calm, composed global icon who conquered Wimbledon, and the world of endorsements. With over 20 Grand Slam titles and more than $100 million in prize money, Federer’s sportin...

Luana Lopes Lara, the co-founder of prediction market platform Kalshi, went from the Bolshoi ballet school in Brazil to becoming the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire.

BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng explain how - in today's online world - literally anything can become a tradeable asset. Thanks to early investment, Luana Lopes Lara and her business partner Tarek Mansour convinced US regula...

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, transformed himself from a teenager obsessing over YouTube's algorithms, into one of the most influential digital entrepreneurs on the planet. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow his ascent from making Minecraft videos in his bedroom, to ever-larger challenges, eye-watering cash prizes, and headline-grabbing acts of philanthropy. Is MrBeast a visionary entrepr...

Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in poverty on the remote island of Madeira, but became football's first billionaire player, and one of the most recognisable people on the planet. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng trace Ronaldo's rise from a homesick kid playing for the academy at Sporting CP, to global superstardom at Manchester United and Real Madrid, where relentless training and record-breaking performances tur...

Steven Spielberg always felt like an outsider, but became the most commercially successful movie director in history. His hits, including ET, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, sent him on his way to becoming one of the first entertainment billionaires. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng chart the filmmaker's rise, from a movie-obsessed outsider with an 8mm camera, to the chaos of Jaws - a production he feared ...

Beyoncé started out as a little girl competing in local talent shows, but over the course of a 30-year career in music she transformed herself into a mogul worth $1 billion. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack trace Beyoncé’s early years in girl group Girls Tyme, the turbulent rise of Destiny’s Child, and her breakout as a solo artist, before examining the strategic decisions that transformed her f...

Simon and Zing are back to tell you how another batch of billionaires made their money. From people who've recently joined this most exclusive of clubs - like Beyoncé and Mr Beast - to some of the most established names in entertainment, including Sir Paul McCartney and Steven Spielberg, Simon and Zing will track their rise to a million and then onto their first billion. It's then time for our unscientific scoring on wealth, contro...

Toto Wolff is the most successful team principal in Formula One history. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out what drives him. From losing his father and abandoning his own racing dreams, Toto Wolff redirected his love of risk and need for control into venture capital, making millions during the early tech boom. But Toto Wolff couldn’t stay away from motorsport. After a crash that almost killed...

Ronnie Screwvala changed the viewing habits of the world’s most populous country, India - but he started out selling toothbrushes. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng chart his journey, from knocking on apartment doors in 1980s Mumbai selling cable TV, to building a media empire that would transform Indian entertainment. Ronnie Screwvala launched the first Indian daily soap opera, the country’s ...