The numbers behind YouTube juggernaut The Sidemen - the seven-strong collective often referred to as the UK’s answer to MrBeast - are nothing short of staggering. What began as a group of friends playing Grand Theft Auto as a hobby and uploading it online is now a nine-figure empire spanning multiple channels, merchandise, a fried chicken chain, a vodka brand and a netflix reality show. The official YouTube channel has more than 22 million subscribers. 

So, what has driven their stratospheric growth? Jordan Schwarzenberger, CEO of management and venture company Arcade, has managed the group for the last five years and joins the Business to talk over the strategy behind its online presence - and what businesses and individuals can learn from their success. He walks through his career trajectory, the booming creator industry, and why content remains so overlooked in company and career development. 

Presenters:

• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio
• Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times 

Guest:

• Jordan Schwarzenberger, co-founder of Arcade Media

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Octopus Energy has gone from market entrant to market leader in just 10 years. Greg Jackson, chief executive and co-founder is at the forefront of this business success story. The secret sauce? It’s nothing to do with energy - it’s the Kraken software that links the company to its customers and suppliers. So how did he do it? Why does he think 'spaghetti stacks' of ancient software are what’s holding so many businesses back? And what plans does he have to float Kraken? From memories of his failed career as a game designer, why corporate life can be addictive - and why he thinks business leaders should be optimistic in a challenging world, Dom and Katie hear his lessons from the frontline.

Presenters:

• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio
• Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor, The Times and host of the Times Tech Podcast

Guest:

• Greg Jackson, CEO and co-founder, Octopus Energy

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By 2030, there will be five generations in the workplace and the majority will be Gen Z. The first post-internet generation, some characterise them as entitled, anxious and difficult to manage. But they’ve also contended with a pandemic during their school and early career years, major financial insecurity and intense geopolitical concerns. 

So what makes them tick as workers? How can managers best motivate - and retain - their ambitious, outspoken Gen Z staff? And what does that future workplace look like when flexibility is the norm and AI is undertaking many of the tasks once done by juniors?

Presenters:

• Modupe Omitola, journalist at The Times. 
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio

Guests:

• Ann Francke, Chief Executive, Chartered Management Institute and Times contributor
• Murvah Iqbal, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Hived 

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated appearance at the World Economic Forum at Davos certainly did not disappoint. After threatening to take Greenland into US control - and slap punitive tariffs on NATO allies that stood in his way - he promptly backed down late Wednesday. While the immediate reaction at the Swiss resort was one of relief, it has left world leaders and the global business community with a serious case of whiplash. 

In this episode, we consider how the world according to Trump is impacting investors, global markets and economies around the world. Just how damaging could those tariffs have been to the UK and EU? Why are Trump's attacks on the Chair of the Federal Reserve so consequential for the global economy?  And what’s the knock-on effect of Trumponomics on British business?

Presenters:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Josh Glancy, Associate Editor, The Sunday Times 

Guests:

• Yael Selfin, Vice Chair and Chief Economist, KPMG UK 
• Jack Barnett, Economics Correspondent, The Times
• Richard Fletcher, Business Editor, The Times

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Clips: CBS Texas, Channel 4, BBC, CNBC, NBC news 

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“I blame it on my kids” - that’s how Louise Hill, founder of multi-million pound business GoHenry - a financial app for kids - describes what motivated her to start her business. And Olivia Jenkins, founder of jewellery company D. Louise, put down the ‘giant backpack’ of grief weighing her down to set up on her own. 

If you’ve ever thought of starting your own business, maybe January - and the beginning of a new year - is the perfect time to break free of the 9-5 drudgery and realise your own brilliant idea. But where to start? How do you turn your passion project into a thriving business? Today, we hear from Louise and Olivia - as they join Dom and Hannah to give their advice on how to make it all work. 

Presenters:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio

Guests:

• Louise Hill, Co-founder and CEO, GoHenry
• Olivia Jenkins, Founder and CEO, D. Louise

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The economy is sluggish, growth elusive, and unemployment is heading for 5% - 2026 looks tough for business. But, the FTSE 100 has broken 10,000 points for the first time, gold keeps on going up, and up in value - and still the AI bubble hasn’t burst. From Davos parties, to driverless cars, what's up, what’s down? And how do you prepare yourself for 2026?

Presenters:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times Radio

Guests:

• Richard Fletcher, Business Editor, The Times
• Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor, The Times

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British tech billionaire Mike Lynch died in August 2024, on board The Bayesian, his luxury superyacht, sunk by a freak storm as it was moored off Sicily. He’d been there with his family and closest associates to celebrate his acquittal of criminal fraud charges in the US. It was a tragic end to the story of a self-made business man - a man who was one of Britain’s biggest titans of tech. So, who exactly was Mike Lynch? How did he manage to build such a huge tech success story? And how did it all come crashing down?

As we end the year, Dom and Hannah have each picked their ‘business book of 2025’. In today’s episode Hannah sits down with Katie Prescott, Times colleague and author of The Curious Case of Mike Lynch.

Host: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times.

Guest: Katie Prescott, Technology Business editor for The Times, presenter on The Tech Podcast and author of ‘the curious case of Mike Lynch’

Clips: Getty

Photo: Getty

Producer: Miriam Hall

Executive producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

You can buy The Curious Case of Mike Lynch by Katie Prescott at the Times Bookshop.

Listen to The Times Tech Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In space, a battle between big business is taking place as two of the world’s wealthiest men vie for dominance. Elon Musk’s Space X and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin have taken the space industry in the US out of the hands of government and into the hands of the private sector. But what are the consequences? Who will win the commercial race to extract crucial minerals from outer space? And who will police space if the rivalry between China and the US extends into orbit?

As we end the year, Dom and Hannah have each picked their ‘business book of 2025’. In today’s episode Dom sits down with Christian Davenport, author of Rocket Dreams.

Host: Dominic O’Connell, business columnist at The Times and business presenter on Times Radio  

Guest: Christian Davenport, Washington Post journalist and author, Rocket Dreams

Clips: Getty

Photo: Getty

Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive producer: Kate Ford

Get in touch: [email protected]

You can buy Rocket Dreams by Christian Davenport at the Times Bookshop.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2025 has been a wild ride of big pharma - driven by explosive use of revolutionary weight-loss medication - pushing one of the biggest manufacturers, Eli Lilly, to a trillion-dollar valuation. A dramatic takeover war also saw Denmark’s pharma darling Novo Nordisk trumped by US giant Pfizer. Now, while Novo’s share price is down 50% over the course of the year, Lilly is in the stratosphere normally reserved for the likes of tech firms.  

But the story’s not over. These, and smaller, challenger companies are slogging it out for market dominance. Who can nail the science for the next holy grail in weight loss meds – an oral pill. And what does investor behaviour tell us about where the market is going? 

Presenters:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Richard Fletcher, Business Editor, The Times

Guests:

• Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor, The Times
• Paul Major, portfolio manager at Bellevue Asset management

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gold, the world's oldest asset, is experiencing a remarkable boom. Its value has surged from just over £2000 per ounce a year ago to well over £3000 today, reaching highs not seen since the 1970s. This rapid rise is unusual because gold typically peaks when stock markets decline, yet this rally has coincided with booming equity markets. So, what is driving the value up? Have we reached the peak, or is there more growth to come?

Guests:

• Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times.
• James Ashley Morrison, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Associate Director of the Phelan United States Centre at the London School of Economics & Political Science.
• Jim Luke, Portfolio Manager of Schroders Global Gold Fund.

Producer: Miriam Hall

Senior Producer: Julia Johnson

Executive Producer: Kate Ford

Photo credit: Getty

Get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Business is sponsored by PwC.

As AI rapidly reshapes the world of work, businesses face the biggest transformation since the industrial revolution. While 90% of CEOs surveyed are investing in AI, only 15% are currently getting the value. So, what are the tools driving productivity gains? How can companies move AI from an IT project to one that’s truly integrated across the business? And how exactly are the UK’s largest employers preparing their workforces for the future? 

In this special bonus episode of The Business, recorded at the Times Tech Summit, Dominic O'Connell chairs a discussion with those at the forefront of this new technology.

Guests:

• Dr Seth Dobrin, CEO, Qantm AI
• Danielle Gilliam-Moore, Director, Global Public Policy, Salesforce
• Umang Paw, Chief Technology Officer, PwC  

Hosts:

• Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday Times
• Dominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times Radio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.