Elon Musk’s extraordinary rise, from a troubled childhood in apartheid-era South Africa to becoming the first person to amass half a trillion dollars.
BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng chart Elon Musk's journey to becoming a multi-billionaire entrepreneur: from tech giant PayPal, to revolutionising electric cars at Tesla, and launching rockets at SpaceX. But becoming the richest person in the world comes with plenty of boardroom drama and controversy.
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility. Simon and Zing put their subjects to the test with a playful, totally unscientific scorecard — then hand the verdict over to you: are they good, bad, or simply billionaires?
We're taking a break over the next few weeks but we'll be back in the New Year with a host of new billionaires. You can still contact the team: email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or send a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. Find out more about the show and read our privacy notice at www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire
Today, we read the novelisation of The Muppet Christmas Carol, also known as the 1843 festive lit hit A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Read by me, Helen Zaltzman; music, sound effects and additional vocals are by Martin Austwick of palebirdmusic.com.
Content warning: 200-year-old attitudes towards disability. Also warning for GHOSTS.
Scroll way down your podfeed or go to theallusionist.org/dickens-christmas to listen to the episode called How The Dickens Stole Christmas, which is about just why this book has such a big influence on festivities even nearly two centuries later. And it features podcasting luminaries Greg Jenner, Katie Mingle and Avery Trufelman.
There are also several other festive episodes of the show, including ones about why Santa St Nick Father Christmas Kringle Klaas has so many names, Christmas song lyrics where the letters sent to Santa go, and a portmanteau word that kicked off a lot of War On Christmas. They're all gathered at theallusionist.org/festivelusionist.
Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get to list your creative works in this year's Allusioverse Gift Guide, plus you receive bonus written material about every episode; regular livestreams with me and Martin reading from my ever-growing collection of dictionaries; and the charming and nurturing Allusioverse Discord community, where among daily sharing of thoughts and amusements, this month we will be watching The Muppet Christmas Carol and Knives Out.
Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow.
Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:
• Greenwood Lake Roasters, purveyors of small batch craft coffee roasted just outside of NYC. Go to GreenwoodLakeRoasters.com to place your order - do it between now and December 31st and use the checkout code ALLUSIONIST to get 10% off small batch coffee and subscription orders.
• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online forever home. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.
• Rosetta Stone, immersive and effective language learning. Allusionist listeners get 50% off lifetime membership - that's unlimited access to all 25 language courses, for life - at rosettastone.com/allusionist.
News Items: Cognitive Legos, China's Planting Lots of Trees, Misinformation and Birth Control, Dark Matter Detection, Asteroid Bennu Ingredients for Life; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Climate Denial, Calcium Cardiac Scans; Science or Fiction
What Happened in Nashville is a deeply reported investigation into the sudden collapse of a Tennessee fertility clinic, and the patients caught in the fallout. When the Center for Reproductive Health shut down without warning, people lost access to their embryos, their treatments were abruptly cut off, and many were left scrambling to recover money, medical records, and time they couldn’t afford to lose. Through intimate conversations with the patients who lived through it, host Melissa Jeltsen reveals the emotional and physical toll of the clinic’s abrupt closure. But the story reaches far beyond a single clinic. The series exposes the cracks in a fertility industry built on hope, high price tags and minimal oversight. What Happened in Nashville isn’t just the story of one tragedy — it’s a warning about a system where families have everything at stake and far too little protection.
All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.
- Darién Gap: One Year Later | Part One: After The Jungle
- Darién Gap: One Year Later | Part Two: To Be Called By No Name
- Darién Gap: One Year Later | Part Three: The American Nightmare
- Darién Gap: One Year Later | Part Four: When Someone Needs Help
- Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #44
You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!
Warning: This episode contains graphic, accurate descriptions of unclean actions, and may not be appropriate for all listeners.
In 1981 and 1982, an horrific series of murders and mutilation gripped Chicago. Ultimately, investigators found four men guilty of the crimes: Edward Spreitzer, brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis, and the alleged ringleader, Robin Gecht. However, as Ben, Matt and Dylan discover in tonight's episode, three of the criminals seemed unable to explain what, exactly, led to their depraved acts. Gecht, they argued, had supernatural powers of compulsion.
Once again, I want to open with "I'm sorry" for all of this. If you're considering condemning us to content creator hell for our takes, first consider the question: What Would Charlie Do? Charlie would say, despite our worst takes, we are still redeemable! So, we're doing the first two seasons of Hazbin Hotel and doing a 200 level discussion on universalism about salvation and why it may be the best option for believers but it's still a legitimizing myth. Please don't hate us!
State by state, tribes are staking out a share in the burgeoning online sports betting business. Places like Colorado, California, Wisconsin, and Michigan all have ongoing legal and political disputes involving tribes’ ability to expand casino enterprises into online sports books. We’ll look at how the clash between states, private companies, and tribes are raising complex questions over sovereignty, regulation, and jurisdiction.
GUESTS
Jason Giles (Muscogee), executive director of the Indian Gaming Association
James Siva (Morongo Band of Mission Indians), vice chairman for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and chairman of California Nations Indian Gaming Association
Gary Pitchlynn (Choctaw), professor of law at the University of Oklahoma
The gang covers the arrest of a J6 bomber suspect, the shooting of National Guard troops in DC and the following immigration crackdown, repeated airstrikes targeting survivors of alleged smuggling boats, a Turning Point campaign against a trans college instructor, and online gambling sites partnering with news agencies.
