Lakshmi Mittal: King of steel

Lakshmi Mittal grew up in Kolkata, where he gained early experience in his father’s steel business before founding his own steel mill in Indonesia in his twenties. By adopting mini-mill technology and electric arc furnaces, Lakshmi Mittal produced steel more efficiently than traditional methods and began acquiring underperforming state-owned mills around the world, setting him on his path to becoming a billionaire.

Journalists Zing Tsjeng and Simon Jack trace his journey of entrepreneurship from one mill in Indonesia to leading ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker. They explore how Lakshmi Mittal navigated a split from the family business, executed bold global acquisitions, and reshaped a fragmented industry into a profitable, consolidated powerhouse.

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 business 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 asking the audience to decide if they are good, bad, or just billionaires.

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