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Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
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Top 10 Empires - An Asian Business Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Empires - An Asian Business Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Empires - An Asian Business Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Empires - An Asian Business Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
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Promotions, Episode Drop | Indonesia Tiktok Ban | BRAVE
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
Hi Empires fans! Today, we've a very special bonus episode, we're highlighting a fellow podcast that captures the same spirit of Empires: Brave. Hosted by Jeremy Au, a seasoned VC and founder with degrees from Harvard and UC Berkeley, Brave is the go-to podcast for over 20,000 tech enthusiasts across Southeast Asia.
Brave brings together top tech leaders to discuss real stories of success and failure, without any fluff. Don't believe? Here's an episode that provides more context about Indonesia - a perfect way to learn more after the GOTO episodes"
Hope you enjoyed it. Brave Episodes drop every Monday and Thursday, with Mondays focusing on the latest tech news and Thursdays featuring interviews with changemakers. It's a vital resource for anyone in the startup and venture capital space. Find them on the link below
Hi Empires fans! Today, we've a very special bonus episode, we're highlighting a fellow podcast that captures the same spirit of Empires: Brave. Hosted by Jeremy Au, a seasoned VC and founder with degrees from Harvard and UC Berkeley, Brave is the go-to podcast for over 20,000 tech enthusiasts across Southeast Asia.
Brave brings together top tech leaders to discuss real stories of success and failure, without any fluff. Don't believe? Here's an episode that provides more context about Indonesia - a perfect way to learn more after the GOTO episodes"
Hope you enjoyed it. Brave Episodes drop every Monday and Thursday, with Mondays focusing on the latest tech news and Thursdays featuring interviews with changemakers. It's a vital resource for anyone in the startup and venture capital space. Find them on the link below
04/19/24 • 37 min

Charoen Pokphand (C.P.) | Tom Yam Kung Crisis (TH) | 5/5
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
Charoen Pokphand, or C.P., is renowned as the "Kitchen of the World." It is estimated that half the world's population has consumed food from C.P. Initially recognized for its expertise in vertical food integration, the company has evolved into one of Thailand's largest distributors. It owns 13,000 7-Eleven stores and nearly 3,000 hypermarkets, supermarkets, and minimarkets under the "Lotus" brand. Additionally, it owns True Corp, a telecommunications company providing 99% coverage in Thailand and serving over half of the nation's citizens. However, C.P. is not just a Thai company, but also deeply embedded in China. As the first foreign company in China, bearing the number 001, C.P. has diversified into producing motorbikes, developing real estate, and even producing China's longest-running TV program at one point. All business units fall under the C.P. Group, owned by Thailand's wealthiest family, the Chearavanonts. Under Dhanin (Guomin) Chearavanont's leadership, C.P. transformed from a modest seed business to the world's kitchen. In EP 1, discover Chia Ek Chor's vision that propels the Chearavanont family towards greatness. In EP 2, witness Dhanin's climb to lead C.P. Group, a monumental journey. In EP 3, explore C.P.'s groundbreaking move into vertical farming, reshaping global food production. In EP 4, follow C.P.'s bold entry into China, setting a precedent as the first foreign investor. In EP 5, observe the dramatic effects of the Asian Financial Crisis on C.P.'s ambitious expansion. -
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
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Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
Charoen Pokphand, or C.P., is renowned as the "Kitchen of the World." It is estimated that half the world's population has consumed food from C.P. Initially recognized for its expertise in vertical food integration, the company has evolved into one of Thailand's largest distributors. It owns 13,000 7-Eleven stores and nearly 3,000 hypermarkets, supermarkets, and minimarkets under the "Lotus" brand. Additionally, it owns True Corp, a telecommunications company providing 99% coverage in Thailand and serving over half of the nation's citizens. However, C.P. is not just a Thai company, but also deeply embedded in China. As the first foreign company in China, bearing the number 001, C.P. has diversified into producing motorbikes, developing real estate, and even producing China's longest-running TV program at one point. All business units fall under the C.P. Group, owned by Thailand's wealthiest family, the Chearavanonts. Under Dhanin (Guomin) Chearavanont's leadership, C.P. transformed from a modest seed business to the world's kitchen. In EP 1, discover Chia Ek Chor's vision that propels the Chearavanont family towards greatness. In EP 2, witness Dhanin's climb to lead C.P. Group, a monumental journey. In EP 3, explore C.P.'s groundbreaking move into vertical farming, reshaping global food production. In EP 4, follow C.P.'s bold entry into China, setting a precedent as the first foreign investor. In EP 5, observe the dramatic effects of the Asian Financial Crisis on C.P.'s ambitious expansion. -
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
02/19/24 • 26 min
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Tencent (CN) | The Hand of the Jade Emperor | 4
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
Tencent is a complicated company - the parent company of WeChat, the WhatsApp of China with over 1.2 billion users.
Tencent also owns, an entire entertainment arm, owning movie rights such as Terminator: Dark Fate, and a music group (Tencent Music Group) with 1.5 times the users of Spotify.
But its most profitable segment is on games, owning League of Legends, Clash of Clans and Honor of Kings.
This Chinese empire have humble and mystical beginnings that can be traced back to when a little carp, who's name was Tony Ma, decided to swim up stream to join the new wave of Chinese Billionaire Dragons.
In Ep 1. We tell the grueling rise of the founding team, creating QQ - the MSN of China In Ep 2. We detail the epic battle battle between QQ vs MSN that cemented Tencent as the Microsoft Killer In Ep 3. We breakdown its gaming empire that led to the highest revenue mobile game in the world - Honor of Kings In Ep 4. We learn about the rise of WeChat - the app that made Tencent famous, and China's tech crackdown that wiped trillions off the Chinese stock market
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Youtube to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
Tencent is a complicated company - the parent company of WeChat, the WhatsApp of China with over 1.2 billion users.
Tencent also owns, an entire entertainment arm, owning movie rights such as Terminator: Dark Fate, and a music group (Tencent Music Group) with 1.5 times the users of Spotify.
But its most profitable segment is on games, owning League of Legends, Clash of Clans and Honor of Kings.
This Chinese empire have humble and mystical beginnings that can be traced back to when a little carp, who's name was Tony Ma, decided to swim up stream to join the new wave of Chinese Billionaire Dragons.
In Ep 1. We tell the grueling rise of the founding team, creating QQ - the MSN of China In Ep 2. We detail the epic battle battle between QQ vs MSN that cemented Tencent as the Microsoft Killer In Ep 3. We breakdown its gaming empire that led to the highest revenue mobile game in the world - Honor of Kings In Ep 4. We learn about the rise of WeChat - the app that made Tencent famous, and China's tech crackdown that wiped trillions off the Chinese stock market
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Youtube to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
03/13/23 • 33 min
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Grab (MY/SG) | Up for Grabs | 2/5
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
Grab is often referred to as the "Uber of Southeast Asia." However, it's quickly becoming a super app on which one can manage a significant portion of their lives, including investing. By market share, they dominate Southeast Asia, controlling approximately 70% of all rides after Uber's exit. Grab's journey from a fledgling taxi application in Malaysia to being valued at nearly 40 billion, representing the largest SPAC IPO on record, is nothing short of astounding. In its rise, it not only defeated Uber but also became an indispensable app for the 700 million people in Southeast Asia. In EP 1, discover the experiences that left an indelible mark on Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, the founders of MyTeksi, which later became Grab. In EP 2, join the team as they get gritty, clawing their way to the top and vying for driver attention. In EP 3, witness the relentless battle between Uber and Grab as the team struggles to fend off the industry giant. In EP 4, learn about the pivotal investments that transformed Grab into a behemoth and the all-out war that resulted in the greatest cash burns in Southeast Asian history. In EP 5, hear from industry insiders who shed light on Grab's impact and significance in the region.
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
Grab is often referred to as the "Uber of Southeast Asia." However, it's quickly becoming a super app on which one can manage a significant portion of their lives, including investing. By market share, they dominate Southeast Asia, controlling approximately 70% of all rides after Uber's exit. Grab's journey from a fledgling taxi application in Malaysia to being valued at nearly 40 billion, representing the largest SPAC IPO on record, is nothing short of astounding. In its rise, it not only defeated Uber but also became an indispensable app for the 700 million people in Southeast Asia. In EP 1, discover the experiences that left an indelible mark on Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, the founders of MyTeksi, which later became Grab. In EP 2, join the team as they get gritty, clawing their way to the top and vying for driver attention. In EP 3, witness the relentless battle between Uber and Grab as the team struggles to fend off the industry giant. In EP 4, learn about the pivotal investments that transformed Grab into a behemoth and the all-out war that resulted in the greatest cash burns in Southeast Asian history. In EP 5, hear from industry insiders who shed light on Grab's impact and significance in the region.
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
09/25/23 • 27 min
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VNG (VN) | Kill the Messenger | 4
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
VNG, often referred to as the "Tencent of Vietnam," is one of Southeast Asia's pioneering unicorns.
Mirroring Tencent, a significant 70% of VNG's revenue comes from gaming. Among its array of products, VNG boasts Zing, Zalo, and Zalopay, which parallel QQ - a social app, WeChat - a messenger, and WePay - a mobile wallet respectively.
VNG's remarkable success in Vietnam is nothing but extraordinary, especially since it'll stand its ground against global powerhouses like Facebook, carving a distinctly local path forward for the land of the ascending dragon. In Ep 1. Dive into Kingsoft's gamble on the young upstart Vinagames, the precursor to VNG. In Ep 2. Trace the evolution of Vinagames into VNG, through the ZING division whose internet products will touch over a 100 million lives. In Ep 3. Witness what happens when Facebook comes to town, and VNG's struggle in the battle for social media. In Ep 4. Delve deeper as their business skirmishes becomes a full-blown war over messaging platforms, reshaping the roles of VNG and Facebook in Vietnam In Ep 5. Hear from industry insiders as they shed light on VNG's significance in the region.
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
VNG, often referred to as the "Tencent of Vietnam," is one of Southeast Asia's pioneering unicorns.
Mirroring Tencent, a significant 70% of VNG's revenue comes from gaming. Among its array of products, VNG boasts Zing, Zalo, and Zalopay, which parallel QQ - a social app, WeChat - a messenger, and WePay - a mobile wallet respectively.
VNG's remarkable success in Vietnam is nothing but extraordinary, especially since it'll stand its ground against global powerhouses like Facebook, carving a distinctly local path forward for the land of the ascending dragon. In Ep 1. Dive into Kingsoft's gamble on the young upstart Vinagames, the precursor to VNG. In Ep 2. Trace the evolution of Vinagames into VNG, through the ZING division whose internet products will touch over a 100 million lives. In Ep 3. Witness what happens when Facebook comes to town, and VNG's struggle in the battle for social media. In Ep 4. Delve deeper as their business skirmishes becomes a full-blown war over messaging platforms, reshaping the roles of VNG and Facebook in Vietnam In Ep 5. Hear from industry insiders as they shed light on VNG's significance in the region.
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
09/04/23 • 37 min

Titan (IN) | The Golden Bird | 4/5
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
Want to listen all episodes now? Subscribe to binge for SGD 2.99! Titan is the largest jewellery and watch company in India, a country that consumes more gold for jewellery than most countries in the world.
Titan, a part of the Tata Group, generates around $5 billion USD in revenue from jewelry, watches, eyecare, fragrances, fashion accessories, and Indian dress wear.
The Jewelry division is the largest contributor, making up nearly 80% of the business, followed by Watches and Wearables at 8-9%. Titan's products are sold through a combination of direct sales and franchising, with nearly 3,000 stores across over 400 towns in India, covering a retail space equivalent to about 60 football fields. Episode 1: Chronicles Titan’s early struggles to revolutionize the watch industry under Xerxes Desai's leadership.
Episode 2: Tracks Titan's bold strategy to revolutionize retail and marketing with Ogilvy & Mather, leading to their successful launch at Safina Plaza in 1987.
Episode 3: Highlights Titan’s tumultuous entry into the European market, showcasing the challenges and lessons learned.
Episode 4: Explores how Titan's jewelry division, Tanishq, overcame initial struggles to transform the fragmented Indian market with transparency and innovation.
Episode 5: Unveils Titan's creation of the world's slimmest watch, Titan Edge, and the rise of Fastrack, redefining youth fashion in India. -
Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com
-
We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee or subscribing to binge all series releases.
-
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
🔪💥"Mass Murders", Decisiosn that led to countless, dead. (On Spotify/ Apple) 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
Want to listen all episodes now? Subscribe to binge for SGD 2.99! Titan is the largest jewellery and watch company in India, a country that consumes more gold for jewellery than most countries in the world.
Titan, a part of the Tata Group, generates around $5 billion USD in revenue from jewelry, watches, eyecare, fragrances, fashion accessories, and Indian dress wear.
The Jewelry division is the largest contributor, making up nearly 80% of the business, followed by Watches and Wearables at 8-9%. Titan's products are sold through a combination of direct sales and franchising, with nearly 3,000 stores across over 400 towns in India, covering a retail space equivalent to about 60 football fields. Episode 1: Chronicles Titan’s early struggles to revolutionize the watch industry under Xerxes Desai's leadership.
Episode 2: Tracks Titan's bold strategy to revolutionize retail and marketing with Ogilvy & Mather, leading to their successful launch at Safina Plaza in 1987.
Episode 3: Highlights Titan’s tumultuous entry into the European market, showcasing the challenges and lessons learned.
Episode 4: Explores how Titan's jewelry division, Tanishq, overcame initial struggles to transform the fragmented Indian market with transparency and innovation.
Episode 5: Unveils Titan's creation of the world's slimmest watch, Titan Edge, and the rise of Fastrack, redefining youth fashion in India. -
Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com
-
We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee or subscribing to binge all series releases.
-
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
🔪💥"Mass Murders", Decisiosn that led to countless, dead. (On Spotify/ Apple) 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
06/24/24 • 27 min
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Lippo Group (ID) | Bikes and Ships | 1/5
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
From a local Indonesian business, the Lippo Group has evolved into one of Southeast Asia's most influential conglomerates.
With ventures spanning across real estate, retail, healthcare, banking, and digital technology, the presence of the Indonesian powerhouse can be seen not just locally, but across the region. Today, the Lippo Group's assets stretch across various industries and countries, from Singapore to Hong Kong and beyond, reflecting its transformation into a multifaceted, globally connected empire.
This is the story of the Lippo Group—driven by two generations of the Riady family—they would navigate Indonesia’s worst monetary crisis, survive a thousand-fold currency devaluation, and emerge from the Asian Financial Crisis as one of the nation’s largest conglomerates and real estate giants.
Episode 1: Bikes and Ships
Discover how Mochtar Riady’s humble beginnings and early ventures in shipping and trade laid the foundation for the Lippo Group.
Episode 2: Building Banks
Mochtar Riady enters the world of finance, taking over and reforming failing banks, setting the stage for his rise as a prominent banker in Indonesia.
Episode 3: The Benefactor
A chance meeting with business tycoon Sudono Salim leads to the transformation of Bank Central Asia into Indonesia’s second clearing bank.
Episode 4: Lippo the Group
After years in banking, the Riadys expand their reach beyond finance, transforming Lippo into a diverse conglomerate with interests in various industries across Indonesia.
Episode 5: Real Estate and Healthcare
As Lippo Group evolves, its focus sharpens on real estate and healthcare, building a legacy through massive developments and premium hospital chains that redefine Indonesia’s business landscape.
-
Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com
-
We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee or subscribing to binge all series releases.
-
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
🔪💥"Mass Murders", Decisions that led to countless, dead. (On Spotify/ Apple)
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
From a local Indonesian business, the Lippo Group has evolved into one of Southeast Asia's most influential conglomerates.
With ventures spanning across real estate, retail, healthcare, banking, and digital technology, the presence of the Indonesian powerhouse can be seen not just locally, but across the region. Today, the Lippo Group's assets stretch across various industries and countries, from Singapore to Hong Kong and beyond, reflecting its transformation into a multifaceted, globally connected empire.
This is the story of the Lippo Group—driven by two generations of the Riady family—they would navigate Indonesia’s worst monetary crisis, survive a thousand-fold currency devaluation, and emerge from the Asian Financial Crisis as one of the nation’s largest conglomerates and real estate giants.
Episode 1: Bikes and Ships
Discover how Mochtar Riady’s humble beginnings and early ventures in shipping and trade laid the foundation for the Lippo Group.
Episode 2: Building Banks
Mochtar Riady enters the world of finance, taking over and reforming failing banks, setting the stage for his rise as a prominent banker in Indonesia.
Episode 3: The Benefactor
A chance meeting with business tycoon Sudono Salim leads to the transformation of Bank Central Asia into Indonesia’s second clearing bank.
Episode 4: Lippo the Group
After years in banking, the Riadys expand their reach beyond finance, transforming Lippo into a diverse conglomerate with interests in various industries across Indonesia.
Episode 5: Real Estate and Healthcare
As Lippo Group evolves, its focus sharpens on real estate and healthcare, building a legacy through massive developments and premium hospital chains that redefine Indonesia’s business landscape.
-
Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com
-
We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee or subscribing to binge all series releases.
-
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
🔪💥"Mass Murders", Decisions that led to countless, dead. (On Spotify/ Apple)
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
09/30/24 • 21 min

Bytedance (CN) I Gold Rush I 5/5
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
Tiktok's parent company Bytedance, is the world's most valuable Startup.
With an ecosystem spanning short-form video, news aggregation, and artificial intelligence, ByteDance’s influence stretches far beyond its roots in China. Today, the company’s flagship app TikTok stands as a cultural phenomenon, captivating billions of users across continents and redefining how content is created, shared, and consumed.
This is the story of ByteDance, driven by the relentless vision of Zhang Yiming. From its humble beginnings as an app factory producing memes and news aggregators, ByteDance would go on to challenge titans like Tencent and Facebook, navigating fierce competition, regulatory hurdles, and cultural resistance to become a global empire.
Episode 1: Clickbait and Addiction
Zhang Yiming discovers that the secret to building fast-growing apps lies in mastering the science of clickbait and addiction.
Episode 2: Today’s Headlines
ByteDance hit it's first major success with Toutiao, the news app that redefined personalisation and propelled the company into the spotlight.
Episode 3: Earthquake and Shockwave
ByteDance shakes up China’s tech scene with Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), spearheading the short-form video revolution before Tencent joins the battle.
Episode 4: Sayonara and Ni Hao
ByteDance perfects its strategy in Japan, then Asia, laying the groundwork for global domination.
Episode 5: Gold Rush
ByteDance storms into the U.S. by acquiring Musical.ly, rebranding it as TikTok. Leveraging its proven strategies, TikTok quickly becomes America’s top app.
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Want to showcase your brand to listeners with a combined net worth of over $1 billion and a network of 100,000+ employees and industry contacts? Drop us an email: sales@1upmediapodcast.com
-
We're looking to grow our team! Support our productions by buying us a coffee.
-
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
Tiktok's parent company Bytedance, is the world's most valuable Startup.
With an ecosystem spanning short-form video, news aggregation, and artificial intelligence, ByteDance’s influence stretches far beyond its roots in China. Today, the company’s flagship app TikTok stands as a cultural phenomenon, captivating billions of users across continents and redefining how content is created, shared, and consumed.
This is the story of ByteDance, driven by the relentless vision of Zhang Yiming. From its humble beginnings as an app factory producing memes and news aggregators, ByteDance would go on to challenge titans like Tencent and Facebook, navigating fierce competition, regulatory hurdles, and cultural resistance to become a global empire.
Episode 1: Clickbait and Addiction
Zhang Yiming discovers that the secret to building fast-growing apps lies in mastering the science of clickbait and addiction.
Episode 2: Today’s Headlines
ByteDance hit it's first major success with Toutiao, the news app that redefined personalisation and propelled the company into the spotlight.
Episode 3: Earthquake and Shockwave
ByteDance shakes up China’s tech scene with Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), spearheading the short-form video revolution before Tencent joins the battle.
Episode 4: Sayonara and Ni Hao
ByteDance perfects its strategy in Japan, then Asia, laying the groundwork for global domination.
Episode 5: Gold Rush
ByteDance storms into the U.S. by acquiring Musical.ly, rebranding it as TikTok. Leveraging its proven strategies, TikTok quickly becomes America’s top app.
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If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/Apple)
02/17/25 • 31 min

VNG (VN) | Interview, Vietnamese perspective and Impact on startups in SEA | 5
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
VNG, often referred to as the "Tencent of Vietnam," is one of Southeast Asia's pioneering unicorns.
Mirroring Tencent, a significant 70% of VNG's revenue comes from gaming. Among its array of products, VNG boasts Zing, Zalo, and Zalopay, which parallel QQ - a social app, WeChat - a messenger, and WePay - a mobile wallet respectively.
VNG's remarkable success in Vietnam is nothing but extraordinary, especially since it'll stand its ground against global powerhouses like Facebook, carving a distinctly local path forward for the land of the ascending dragon. In Ep 1. Dive into Kingsoft's gamble on the young upstart Vinagames, the precursor to VNG. In Ep 2. Trace the evolution of Vinagames into VNG, through the ZING division whose internet products will touch over a 100 million lives. In Ep 3. Witness what happens when Facebook comes to town, and VNG's struggle in the battle for social media. In Ep 4. Delve deeper as their business skirmishes becomes a full-blown war over messaging platforms, reshaping the roles of VNG and Facebook in Vietnam In Ep 5. Hear from industry insiders as they shed light on VNG's significance in the region (Ngoc Nguyen/Jeremy Au)
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We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
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Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
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If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
VNG, often referred to as the "Tencent of Vietnam," is one of Southeast Asia's pioneering unicorns.
Mirroring Tencent, a significant 70% of VNG's revenue comes from gaming. Among its array of products, VNG boasts Zing, Zalo, and Zalopay, which parallel QQ - a social app, WeChat - a messenger, and WePay - a mobile wallet respectively.
VNG's remarkable success in Vietnam is nothing but extraordinary, especially since it'll stand its ground against global powerhouses like Facebook, carving a distinctly local path forward for the land of the ascending dragon. In Ep 1. Dive into Kingsoft's gamble on the young upstart Vinagames, the precursor to VNG. In Ep 2. Trace the evolution of Vinagames into VNG, through the ZING division whose internet products will touch over a 100 million lives. In Ep 3. Witness what happens when Facebook comes to town, and VNG's struggle in the battle for social media. In Ep 4. Delve deeper as their business skirmishes becomes a full-blown war over messaging platforms, reshaping the roles of VNG and Facebook in Vietnam In Ep 5. Hear from industry insiders as they shed light on VNG's significance in the region (Ngoc Nguyen/Jeremy Au)
-
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our
Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
09/11/23 • 22 min

GOTO (ID) | The Making of
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
GOTO, an Indonesian tech titan, drives more than 2% of the nation's GDP. Born from the union of Gojek, Indonesia's answer to Uber, and Tokopedia, its version of Amazon, GOTO reigns as a colossal tech empire. Its business model? Imagine Amazon scrapping its warehouses, leaning instead on a vast network of in-house drivers for deliveries. With impressive figures, GOTO boasts 64 million annual users, 3 million drivers, and 18 million merchants, peaking at a valuation of $33 billion USD. It churns out $2 billion USD in gross revenue, with a portfolio diversified into on-demand services (57%), e-commerce (36%), and fintech (7%). Episode 1 unveils Tokopedia's modest start, featuring founder William Tanuwijaya's relentless pursuit of belief. Episode 2 tracks William's rise as Indonesia's tech godfather, celebrating Tokopedia's groundbreaking $100 million funding. Episode 3 revisits Gojek's journey, from its lackluster inception under Nadiem Makarim to its game-changing revival. Episode 4 showcases the strategic dance of Gojek and Tokopedia, warding off tech behemoths vying for control over Indonesia. Episode 5 captures the monumental merger into GOTO, a powerhouse valued at its zenith at over $33 billion USD. -
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
🔪💥"Mass Murders", Decisiosn that led to countless, dead. (On Spotify/ Apple) 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
GOTO, an Indonesian tech titan, drives more than 2% of the nation's GDP. Born from the union of Gojek, Indonesia's answer to Uber, and Tokopedia, its version of Amazon, GOTO reigns as a colossal tech empire. Its business model? Imagine Amazon scrapping its warehouses, leaning instead on a vast network of in-house drivers for deliveries. With impressive figures, GOTO boasts 64 million annual users, 3 million drivers, and 18 million merchants, peaking at a valuation of $33 billion USD. It churns out $2 billion USD in gross revenue, with a portfolio diversified into on-demand services (57%), e-commerce (36%), and fintech (7%). Episode 1 unveils Tokopedia's modest start, featuring founder William Tanuwijaya's relentless pursuit of belief. Episode 2 tracks William's rise as Indonesia's tech godfather, celebrating Tokopedia's groundbreaking $100 million funding. Episode 3 revisits Gojek's journey, from its lackluster inception under Nadiem Makarim to its game-changing revival. Episode 4 showcases the strategic dance of Gojek and Tokopedia, warding off tech behemoths vying for control over Indonesia. Episode 5 captures the monumental merger into GOTO, a powerhouse valued at its zenith at over $33 billion USD. -
We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') Buy Me a Coffee
-
Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our Tiktok where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses.
Want to meet the team? Follow me here!
-
If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:
🔪💥"Mass Murders", Decisiosn that led to countless, dead. (On Spotify/ Apple) 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. (On Spotify/ Apple)
🔪🩸 "Heinous", A Revive Look at the Most Heinous Crimes in Asia. (On Spotify/ Apple)
04/15/24 • 74 min
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FAQ
How many episodes does Empires - An Asian Business Podcast have?
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast currently has 90 episodes available.
What topics does Empires - An Asian Business Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, Documentary and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Empires - An Asian Business Podcast?
The episode title 'Grab (MY/SG) | Up for Grabs | 2/5' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Empires - An Asian Business Podcast?
The average episode length on Empires - An Asian Business Podcast is 30 minutes.
How often are episodes of Empires - An Asian Business Podcast released?
Episodes of Empires - An Asian Business Podcast are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Empires - An Asian Business Podcast?
The first episode of Empires - An Asian Business Podcast was released on Feb 21, 2023.
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