Business Daily

Who studies law but then forgets to apply for any graduate jobs because they've started blogging about web design and javascript? Cameron Adams, the billionaire co-founder of design app Canva. He did eventually land a coveted job at Google (thanks to that blogging), but failure on its Google Wave project ’ led to an introduction to Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, whose vision for making design...

A litre of beer at Munich’s Oktoberfest costs nearly €16; almost four times what a litre cost in 1991 after adjusting for inflation. We follow the money behind the famous Maß, from the Munich brewery that supplies it, through the tent and the servers who sell it, to the City of Munich that runs the festival. Who gets the biggest share, who carries the financial risk, and how much does Oktoberfest...

We're heading west along America's famed Route 66. As the road celebrates its 100th birthday, Victoria Craig finds out whether the pull of neon-drenched nostalgia is still attracting visitors and whether new investment can secure the future of the towns that depend on it. Presenter/producer: Victoria CraigYou can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk(Photo: A sign celebrating 100 years of Route...

What's next for trade, tariffs and AI after Presidents Trump and Xi met at the White House? We examine what was agreed, whether tensions between the world's two biggest economies are easing, and what it could mean for technology, business and global trade. Vishala Sri-Pathma is joined by Henry Wang from the Center for China and Globalization and the AI researcher and author Stephanie Hare. Produce...

The presidents of the world's two biggest economies are meeting in Washington. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet at the White House amid tensions over Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and international trade. Our North American business correspondent Samira Hussain and senior China correspondent Laura Bicker assess what both sides want from the visit and how the relationship between the two le...

Jacob Rothman moved from California to China and helped build a manufacturing business supplying some of the world's biggest retailers. We meet the co-founder of Velong Enterprises to hear how he built the company across Asia and how an unlikely career path took him to the heart of global manufacturing. He also reflects on entrepreneurship, manufacturing in China and how global trade is changing....

Most toys sold in America are made in China. But cheap labour is no longer the main reason manufacturers stay there. As the US toy industry presses for tariffs on toys to be removed, we follow the journey of a $30 toy from a factory in Guangdong, through shipping and the US border, to the shelves of American retailers. Along the way, we find out how much the factory gets, what shipping costs add t...

With Presidents Xi and Trump expected to meet in the United States this week, Will Bain looks back on the history of trade between the two great nations. It's always been fraught with controversy but there's also been a need or desire to get along. President Nixon was the first to visit China in 1972 and spoke with passion about the possibilities for the future between them. Trade then grew quickl...

AI: Existential threat or billion-dollar opportunity? The increasingly loud and often stark warnings from inside the tech industry - about the dangers AI might already be posing. Plus we dig into the interest rate rises facing US and European consumers. And ask whether an ABBA singalong of Mamma Mia was enough to swing the Swedish election. Taking Stock looks back at the week in business, economic...

Xbox is 25 years old and faces some of its biggest challenges yet. As cloud gaming grows and the AI boom reshapes the technology industry, even Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has acknowledged that the business "hasn't been healthy" in recent years. So does Xbox have a future? Will Bain speaks to former Xbox executive Peter Moore and BBC technology reporter Laura Cress about whether Microsoft's gaming brand...

Artificial intelligence is developing faster than many experts predicted, bringing extraordinary opportunities as well as growing concerns. Some of the industry's leading figures are even calling for the pace of development to slow while governments and technology companies grapple with how best to manage the risks. So can humanity remain in control of AI, and how should we govern a technology tha...

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has claimed more than 3,400 lives and infected thousands more. Despite the scale of the outbreak, there is still no approved vaccine for the latest strain. Leanna Byrne examines what it takes and who pays to develop a vaccine. We look at what's slowing vaccine development and whether the limited commercial market for Ebola vaccines means governments, charities and int...

Economic unease is growing among Russian workers as fuel shortages and Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt key sectors of the economy. Ed Butler examines the pressures facing businesses, workers and consumers, from damaged refineries to attacks on Wildberries warehouses. As concerns grow over prices, jobs and supply chains, what do these disruptions reveal about the resilience of Russia's wartime econ...

Across Asia, a growing number of young people are becoming hikikomori, a term used to describe individuals experiencing severe social withdrawal. They shut themselves away at home, retreating from work, school and even family life for months, sometimes years. Some countries, including South Korea, are trying an unexpected approach: government-backed AI chatbots designed to help socially isolated y...

Mark Carney and Donald Trump go tit-for-tat as the list of goods subject to tariffs between the US and Canada continues to grow. But will higher import taxes on products crossing the border make cost-of-living pressures even worse for Canadians and Americans? Takara Small in Toronto and Andy Uhler in Austin join Will Bain to discuss the highlights and lowlights of the week's business news, includi...

This week on Power Players, Will Bain is joined by BBC Business Editor Simon Jack to explore the future of energy giant BP. The past six years have seen significant boardroom churn, while the company has sent mixed messages to investors after scaling back plans to become a greener energy business. We examine whether the company's new leaders can restore confidence and set a clearer strategy. Produ...

Many entrepreneurs would be happy to sell one great idea to a larger business, cash out and put their feet up. Not Marcia Kilgore. The Canadian swapped small-town Saskatchewan for the wealthy clients of Manhattan, New York and sold her first venture, Bliss Spa to luxury giant LVMH. She then went on to found another three multimiilion-dollar enterprises. What did she learn along the way, how does s...

The number of students going to university globally has more than doubled in the last 20 years. 269 million students around the world are enrolled in higher education, if those students were a country, it would be the 5th most populous in the world. At the same time youth unemployment is growing and there’s a slowing of that graduate premium - the extra money you'll earn because of your degree - s...

There's a general fear that artificial intelligence could make huge swathes of workers redundant, but are those fears unjustified? Rob Young asks what history can tell us about big technological leaps and how they changed the world of work at the time. And how much of the rate of change comes down to customer preference - would you rather deal with a bot or a person? Presented and produced by Rob...

This week we've heard lots of talk about rising bond yields, from Japan to the UK and the US, and alongside this government debt is growing all around the world. And that all plays into a feeling that many people have that life is about to get more expensive and that in many places interest rates are set to rise. This week on Taking Stock, Rahul Tandon is joined by David Kuo, co-founder of The Sma...

We dig into the finances behind "the beautiful game" after English football's Premier League just spent $4.7 billion on new players. What's behind football's richest competition an dis its success sustainable. Presenters: Will Bain and Rahul Tandon Producer: Rebecca Smyllie(Image: Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - August 30, 2026 Chelsea's Cole Palmer celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Mor...

Allison Ellsworth, founder of ​Poppi soft drinks, started the beverage business as a kitchen experiment, with a Soda Stream and apple cider vinegar. She speaks to Leanna Byrne about pitching for funding on TV programme Shark Tank while nine months pregnant, relaunching during Covid lockdowns and becoming the number one soda on Amazon in the US and her $1.95 billion exit with PepsiCo. Presenter: Le...

Think of an electric vehicle, and you'll probably imagine a Tesla. But China is the world's biggest EV exporter, despite being largely shut out of the US market. How has the country seemingly come from nowhere to dominate the world of electric mobility and how can its Evs be made so cheap? Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Josh Martin(Photo: A man looks inside the Changan Deepal S05 REEV during...

Emily Wither reports from Istanbul finding out why that 'Made in Turkey' label in so much of our clothing could disappear as the industry faces competition from countries like Egypt, Turkey battles huge inflation and hundreds of factories go bankrupt leaving tens of thousands out of work (Photo: A worker in a Turkish garment factory in Istanbul works at a table. Credit: Emily Wither/Supplied) MARK...

This week on Taking Stock, Rahul Tandon is joined by journalist Nga Pham in Hanoi, Vietnam, and economist Justin Wolfers in Michigan, USA, to unpack Nvidia’s soaring quarterly results and what they signal about the global race in artificial intelligence. They also discuss Meta’s settlement agreement and the wider regulatory pressures facing tech giants, as well as fresh sanctions imposed on Iran b...