From Civil War–era water‑tube boilers to a fraught nuclear legacy and a modern bid for reinvention, Babcock & Wilcox’s 158‑year story is a riveting study in industrial rise, hubris, and survival: founders who cured deadly boiler explosions built a company that powered the U.S. Navy, Edison’s stations, and even parts of the Manhattan Project, only to see its reputation scarred by Three Mile Island, asbestos liabilities, failed bets like the mPower SMR, and a crippling balance sheet. Now, after bankruptcy, spin‑offs, and a tense 2025 restructur­ing, B&W is gambling its future on reliable natural‑gas power for AI data centers and a novel hydrogen/carbon‑capture process called BrightLoop—ambitious pivots that could rescue the firm or leave it a “zombie” lingerer. The question isn’t just whether the technology works, but whether the company can execute, convert pipeline into cash, and buy the runway it needs; the next year will tell, and the signs to watch make for a gripping business drama.

Transcript - https://empor.top/us/BW

• I. Introduction & Episode Roadmap
• II. The Founding Era & Industrial Dominance (1867-1950s)
• III. The Nuclear Bet: Atoms for Peace & The Manhattan Project's Children (1950s-1980s)
• IV. The Diversification Era & Private Equity Carousel (1980s-2000s)
• V. The Great Unraveling: Spin-offs, Bankruptcy & Restructuring (2010-2016)
• VI. The New B&W: Rebuilding & Repositioning (2016-2021)
• VII. The Nuclear Renaissance & B&W's Third Act (2022-Present)
• VIII. Strategic Framework Analysis
• IX. Business Model & Unit Economics
• X. Bull vs. Bear Case
• XI. What Would We Have Done Differently?
• XII. Lessons for Founders & Investors
• XIII. Where Do We Go From Here?
• Key Metrics to Track Going Forward