Good Bad Billionaire

Viktor Bout: Merchant of Death

Just who was the arms dealer prisoner swapped for US basketball star Brittney Griner? Viktor Bout was a man who built his empire selling arms to anyone who wanted them, and earned a billion in the process.BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng piece together a tale from the secretive world of the international arms trade. They follow Bout's story from Tajikistan to Moscow, the UAE, across Africa and into custody in the USA. Then they judge him for his deeds.The podcast that uncovers how the world's wealthiest people made their money and asks if they are good or bad for the planet investigates a murky story of post-Soviet wealth built on the sale of death and destruction.

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 is here to lift the curtain on the minds, motives and money of some of the world's wealthiest individuals. Hosted by Simon Jack, Business Editor for BBC News, and journalist, author and podcaster Zing Tsjeng, this ground-breaking new series examines the rise of a different billionaire each week to answer the question: Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire?From Silicon Valley tech titans and secretive CEOS, to Wall Street moguls, pop stars and sporting legends, Simon and Zing will find out how these billionaires made their riches - from the very start to the very top. No detail is too small, no story too wild and no business deal too shady for them to uncover. How did Amazon boss Jeff Bezos launch one of the biggest corporations of the internet age? How did six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan make a fortune from product endorsements with sports giant Nike? How did Rihanna come to sign with Jay-Z and to found a beauty product empire? And how did Chuck Feeney earn the title of 'the James Bond of philanthropy'?With episodes examining Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, George Lucas and Kim Kardashian, these stories paint a vivid picture of business, entrepreneurship, capitalism and how our world really works.But it's not just about how these billionaires made their money; it's about what they did with it next. Simon and Zing put each on trial to find out: is this billionaire a force for good or an agent of chaos? Or perhaps somewhere in between.... Join our hosts each week as they unravel tales of fortune, power, ambition and moral responsibility, and invite you to weigh in on the verdict: Good, Bad, or Just Another Billionaire?