Coming soon: Good Bad Dead Billionaire
We’re back – but with a difference! Find out how some of the world's most famous dead billionaires made their money. Meet five billionaires who helped build the United States of America. First up: oil tycoon John D Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire. Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng also revisit the lives of motor magnate Henry Ford, the aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes, Walmart founder Sam Walton, and Hetty Green - once dubbed “The Witch of Wall Street”. These iconic billionaires may be dead, but their fingerprints are everywhere in modern industry - in business trusts, IPOs, and mass production. They did it all first, but how did they make their billions?
Season 4 of Good Bad Billionaire starts on Monday 7 July 2025.
And this season, we really want to know what you think - are they good, bad, or just another billionaire? Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.co.uk or send a voice message or text to 001 917 686 1176. Don’t forget to leave your name. We might read your comments out.
Press play and read along
Transcript
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
At Aramco, we start every day by asking how. How can innovation help deliver reliable energy to the world? How can technology help develop new materials to reshape cities?
How can collaboration help us overcome the biggest challenges? To get to the answer, we first need to ask the right question. Search Aramco Powered by How?
Aramco is an energy and chemicals company with oil and gas production as its primary business. When you give to a non-profit, how do you measure success?
Many focus on low overhead, but what about real impact on people's lives? For 18 years, GiveWell has researched the highest impact giving opportunities.
Over 150,000 donors have confidently used GiveWell. saving 300,000 lives and improving millions more.
Make a tax-deductible donation at givewell.org.
First-time donors can have their donation matched to up to $100 while funds last. Select podcast and more or less a checkout.
I'm Simon Jack. And I'm Zhang Singh, the host of Good Bad Billionaire.
And we're back with a brand new mini-season, Good Bad Dead Billionaire.
That's right, this season we are traveling back further than ever before to bring you the stories of five iconic American billionaires, pioneers whose time may be long gone, but whose fingerprints are all over modern business.
They laid the groundwork for all the billionaires we've covered on previous series. We've got oil tycoon John D.
Rockefeller, the world's first billionaire whose controversial tactics gave birth to antitrust competition laws.
Motorman Henry Ford, who revolutionized the assembly line and gave us one of the first mass-produced cars. That in itself changed the landscape of modern America.
Highways, moors, drive-thrus.
There's the original eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, aviator, of course, filmmaker, and notorious germaphobe. Business trusts, IPOs, and mass production.
These titans of industry did it all first.
And this season, we're flipping things around a little bit and we want to hear from you, our brilliant listeners, to give your opinions on whether you think our business leaders are good, bad, or just another billionaire.
So we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us by emailing goodbadbillionaire one word at bbc.com or drop us a text or voice note to 001-917-686-1176.
That's goodbadbillionaire at bbc.com or 001-917-686-1176.
Let us know your thoughts on Rockefeller, Ford, or Hughes for this special mini-season, Good, Bad, Dead Billionaire. Or tell us what you make of any of the other billionaires we've covered.
Do you think the super rich are a force for good or bad in the world? We might feature your voice note or comment, so don't forget to share your name.
Who drives the world forward? The one with the answers or the one asking the right questions? At Aramco, we start every day by asking how. How can innovation help deliver reliable energy to the world?
How can technology help develop new materials to reshape cities? How can collaboration help us overcome the biggest challenges? To get to the answer, we first need to to ask the right question.
Search Aramco Powered by How? Aramco is an energy and chemicals company with oil and gas production as its primary business.
