Good Bad Billionaire

Henry Ford: Putting the world on wheels


Listen Later

Henry Ford may not have invented the car, or even the assembly line, but he perfected them. His Model T – nicknamed “Tin Lizzie” – made cars affordable for the average worker, not just the rich. He was a master tinkerer, inventor and even introduced the five-day 40-hour work week – better than the six-day grind that was the norm at the time.

But his legacy is a complicated one. He increased wages but crushed unions. Plus he used his popularity to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories. In 1938, Germany’s Nazi regime even gave him a medal for it. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng tell the story of the man whose influence helped push America from farm to factory, shaping roads, suburbs, motels, and malls.

In this special series, Good Bad Dead Billionaire, find out how five of the world's most famous dead billionaires made their money. These iconic pioneers who helped shape America may be long gone, but their fingerprints are all over modern industry - in business trusts, IPOs, and mass production. They did it all first, but how did they make their billions?

Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast exploring 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, before inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad or just another billionaire?

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Good Bad BillionaireBy BBC World Service

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

203 ratings


More shows like Good Bad Billionaire

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,454 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,797 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,652 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

527 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

35 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

893 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

291 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

596 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

963 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,046 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

232 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

841 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

754 Listeners

Newscast by BBC News

Newscast

634 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

361 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

324 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,016 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

93 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

595 Listeners

Dua Lipa: At Your Service by BBC Sounds

Dua Lipa: At Your Service

1,000 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

521 Listeners

Hot Money: Agent of Chaos by Pushkin Industries & Financial Times

Hot Money: Agent of Chaos

464 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

607 Listeners

The Explanation by BBC World Service

The Explanation

24 Listeners

World of Secrets by BBC

World of Secrets

903 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

121 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

269 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,216 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

28 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

87 Listeners

Havana Helmet Club by BBC Sounds

Havana Helmet Club

4 Listeners