
Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
If you love Business Wars, you'll love this!
From 1UpMedia, Empires is an immersive storytelling that dives deep into the history of the most successful businesses in Asia.
Every Monday, you'll learn the history of its leaders, the decisions that have rippled across the industry, and the factors that allowed them to become the empire's that they are today.
From triumph and victories, to monumental failures - Empires gets you behind the scenes of some of the most successful companies in Asia.
Latest episodes

Jun 9, 2025 • 33min
The Kuok Group (MY) I Sugar Rush I 2/5
The Kuok Group feeds cities, builds skylines, and reshapes borders. From sugar to shipping, hotels to high finance, it powers modern Asia in ways few truly understand.Robert Kuok sits quietly at the heart of this story, a man guided by discipline, driven by vision, and guarded in privacy.He didn’t chase the spotlight. He chased scale. From the chaos of war-torn Malaya to the boardrooms of Beijing, Kuok built his empire with patience, precision, and a belief in long-term power over short-term profit.He never raised his voice. But when he moved, industries followed.This is the story of the Kuok Group — how a young man from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, rose from rice sacks and ration books to build Southeast Asia’s largest sugar empire and, ultimately, to shape the future of China, one power move at a time.Episode 1: FoundationsJapanese bombs fall over Singapore. Sixteen-year-old Robert Kuok begins a long walk home. He is angry, disillusioned, but determined to change the world.Episode 2: Sugar RushRice built Kuok Brothers Ltd. But sugar? That’s what will make them legends. When global prices spike and contracts fall apart, Robert learns the true cost of sweet ambition.Episode 3: Sugar CrashTo move beyond importing sugar, Robert sets his sights on building Malaysia’s first refinery. But foreign partners try to box him in. In response, he rewrites the rules - mastering policy, strategy, and global trading - until the Kuok name commands respect from London to Kuala Lumpur.Episode 4: The Sugar King To control sugar from source to shelf, Robert ventures into Indonesia and strikes a deal with a powerful, but unpredictable, ally. But as politics sour, he must fight to hold onto the empire he’s built before it slips away.Episode 5: Shangri-LaKuok bets on hospitality. The result? A new kind of empire, one made of glass, steel, and silence. But while others chase the West, Robert looks East.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

Jun 9, 2025 • 34min
The Kuok Group (MY) I Foundations I 1/5
The Kuok Group feeds cities, builds skylines, and reshapes borders. From sugar to shipping, hotels to high finance, it powers modern Asia in ways few truly understand.Robert Kuok sits quietly at the heart of this story, a man guided by discipline, driven by vision, and guarded in privacy.He didn’t chase the spotlight. He chased scale. From the chaos of war-torn Malaya to the boardrooms of Beijing, Kuok built his empire with patience, precision, and a belief in long-term power over short-term profit.He never raised his voice. But when he moved, industries followed.This is the story of the Kuok Group — how a young man from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, rose from rice sacks and ration books to build Southeast Asia’s largest sugar empire and, ultimately, to shape the future of China, one power move at a time.Episode 1: FoundationsJapanese bombs fall over Singapore. Sixteen-year-old Robert Kuok begins a long walk home. He is angry, disillusioned, but determined to change the world.Episode 2: Sugar RushRice built Kuok Brothers Ltd. But sugar? That’s what will make them legends. When global prices spike and contracts fall apart, Robert learns the true cost of sweet ambition.Episode 3: Sugar CrashTo move beyond importing sugar, Robert sets his sights on building Malaysia’s first refinery. But foreign partners try to box him in. In response, he rewrites the rules - mastering policy, strategy, and global trading - until the Kuok name commands respect from London to Kuala Lumpur.Episode 4: The Sugar King To control sugar from source to shelf, Robert ventures into Indonesia and strikes a deal with a powerful, but unpredictable, ally. But as politics sour, he must fight to hold onto the empire he’s built before it slips away.Episode 5: Shangri-LaKuok bets on hospitality. The result? A new kind of empire, one made of glass, steel, and silence. But while others chase the West, Robert looks East.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

May 19, 2025 • 22min
Softbank (JP) I What's Next? I (By AlphaSense)
SoftBank’s Vision Fund made history with its $100 billion war chest, backing game changing companies from Uber to TikTok. But Masa’s ambition doesn’t stop there. SoftBank is already looking ahead, aiming to shape the future of generative AI and its infrastructure.In this special bonus episode, we dive into the next decade of SoftBank’s strategy. Specifically, how they’re positioning themselves to dominate AI infrastructure, from massive data centers to edge computing. We break down the role of ARM, the rise of AI processing on the edge, and how AlphaSense insights can deepen your understanding of SoftBank’s daring strategies.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

May 12, 2025 • 29min
Softbank (JP) I Warchest I 5/5
SoftBank has backed some of the most game-changing startups of our time — Uber, Grab, TikTok — companies that reshaped how we move, eat, and connect.The man behind it is Masayoshi Son — a founder unlike any other. Bold, fearless, and sometimes reckless, Masa didn’t just invest in companies, he devoured them. His empire stretched from Tokyo to Silicon Valley, built on billion-dollar bets, wild risk-taking, and the unshakeable belief that he could see the future before anyone else.But every empire comes at a price.This is the story of SoftBank — how one man from Japan took on the world’s biggest tech giants, gambled billions, lost it all… and came back for more.Episode 1: Impress, Charm and DeceiveA young Masayoshi Son hustles his way through Silicon Valley — using every trick in the book...and outside it.Episode 2: The SoftBank MiracleBack in Japan, Masa builds SoftBank from nothing — surviving betrayal, bankruptcy, and even a terminal illness to become the king of Japan’s software industry.Episode 3: Every Piece of ThemMasa goes global — buying tech magazines, trade fairs, Yahoo shares, and placing a life-changing bet on a then-unknown Chinese startup: Alibaba.Episode 4: Widening the NetAfter the Dot-Com Crash wipes out 96% of his wealth, Masa bets everything on broadband and mobile — taking on Japan’s telecom giants and winning control of Vodafone Japan.Episode 5: WarchestDetermined to rule the future, Masa creates the $100 billion Vision Fund — a war chest so powerful it could turn founders into billionaires overnight — even if their companies were never built to last — all while setting his sights on Artificial Intelligence.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

May 5, 2025 • 36min
Softbank (JP) I Widening The Net I 4/5
SoftBank has backed some of the most game-changing startups of our time — Uber, Grab, TikTok — companies that reshaped how we move, eat, and connect.The man behind it is Masayoshi Son — a founder unlike any other. Bold, fearless, and sometimes reckless, Masa didn’t just invest in companies, he devoured them. His empire stretched from Tokyo to Silicon Valley, built on billion-dollar bets, wild risk-taking, and the unshakeable belief that he could see the future before anyone else.But every empire comes at a price.This is the story of SoftBank — how one man from Japan took on the world’s biggest tech giants, gambled billions, lost it all… and came back for more.Episode 1: Impress, Charm and DeceiveA young Masayoshi Son hustles his way through Silicon Valley — using every trick in the book...and outside it.Episode 2: The SoftBank MiracleBack in Japan, Masa builds SoftBank from nothing — surviving betrayal, bankruptcy, and even a terminal illness to become the king of Japan’s software industry.Episode 3: Every Piece of ThemMasa goes global — buying tech magazines, trade fairs, Yahoo shares, and placing a life-changing bet on a then-unknown Chinese startup: Alibaba.Episode 4: Widening the NetAfter the Dot-Com Crash wipes out 96% of his wealth, Masa bets everything on broadband and mobile — taking on Japan’s telecom giants and winning control of Vodafone Japan.Episode 5: WarchestDetermined to rule the future, Masa creates the $100 billion Vision Fund — a war chest so powerful it could turn founders into billionaires overnight — even if their companies were never built to last — all while setting his sights on Artificial Intelligence.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

Apr 28, 2025 • 30min
Softbank (JP) I Every Piece of Them I 3/5
SoftBank has backed some of the most game-changing startups of our time — Uber, Grab, TikTok — companies that reshaped how we move, eat, and connect.The man behind it is Masayoshi Son — a founder unlike any other. Bold, fearless, and sometimes reckless, Masa didn’t just invest in companies, he devoured them. His empire stretched from Tokyo to Silicon Valley, built on billion-dollar bets, wild risk-taking, and the unshakeable belief that he could see the future before anyone else.But every empire comes at a price.This is the story of SoftBank — how one man from Japan took on the world’s biggest tech giants, gambled billions, lost it all… and came back for more.Episode 1: Impress, Charm and DeceiveA young Masayoshi Son hustles his way through Silicon Valley — using every trick in the book...and outside it.Episode 2: The SoftBank MiracleBack in Japan, Masa builds SoftBank from nothing — surviving betrayal, bankruptcy, and even a terminal illness to become the king of Japan’s software industry.Episode 3: Every Piece of ThemMasa goes global — buying tech magazines, trade fairs, Yahoo shares, and placing a life-changing bet on a then-unknown Chinese startup: Alibaba.Episode 4: Widening the NetAfter the Dot-Com Crash wipes out 96% of his wealth, Masa bets everything on broadband and mobile — taking on Japan’s telecom giants and winning control of Vodafone Japan.Episode 5: WarchestDetermined to rule the future, Masa creates the $100 billion Vision Fund — a war chest so powerful it could turn founders into billionaires overnight — even if their companies were never built to last — all while setting his sights on Artificial Intelligence.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

Apr 21, 2025 • 34min
Softbank (JP) I The SoftBank Miracle I 2/5
SoftBank has backed some of the most game-changing startups of our time — Uber, Grab, TikTok — companies that reshaped how we move, eat, and connect.The man behind it is Masayoshi Son — a founder unlike any other. Bold, fearless, and sometimes reckless, Masa didn’t just invest in companies, he devoured them. His empire stretched from Tokyo to Silicon Valley, built on billion-dollar bets, wild risk-taking, and the unshakeable belief that he could see the future before anyone else.But every empire comes at a price.This is the story of SoftBank — how one man from Japan took on the world’s biggest tech giants, gambled billions, lost it all… and came back for more.Episode 1: Impress, Charm and DeceiveA young Masayoshi Son hustles his way through Silicon Valley — using every trick in the book...and outside it.Episode 2: The SoftBank MiracleBack in Japan, Masa builds SoftBank from nothing — surviving betrayal, bankruptcy, and even a terminal illness to become the king of Japan’s software industry.Episode 3: Every Piece of ThemMasa goes global — buying tech magazines, trade fairs, Yahoo shares, and placing a life-changing bet on a then-unknown Chinese startup: Alibaba.Episode 4: Widening the NetAfter the Dot-Com Crash wipes out 96% of his wealth, Masa bets everything on broadband and mobile — taking on Japan’s telecom giants and winning control of Vodafone Japan.Episode 5: WarchestDetermined to rule the future, Masa creates the $100 billion Vision Fund — a war chest so powerful it could turn founders into billionaires overnight — even if their companies were never built to last — all while setting his sights on Artificial Intelligence.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

Apr 17, 2025 • 2min
Introducing Empires - An Asian Business Podcast
From 1UpMedia, Empires is an immersive storytelling that dives deep into the history of the most successful businesses in Asia.Every Monday, you'll learn the history of its leaders, the decisions that have rippled across the industry, and the factors that allowed them to become the empire's that they are today.Empires is available on all major streaming platforms.

Apr 14, 2025 • 39min
Softbank (JP) I Impress, Charm and Deceive I 1/5
SoftBank has backed some of the most game-changing startups of our time — Uber, Grab, TikTok — companies that reshaped how we move, eat, and connect.The man behind it is Masayoshi Son — a founder unlike any other. Bold, fearless, and sometimes reckless, Masa didn’t just invest in companies, he devoured them. His empire stretched from Tokyo to Silicon Valley, built on billion-dollar bets, wild risk-taking, and the unshakeable belief that he could see the future before anyone else.But every empire comes at a price.This is the story of SoftBank — how one man from Japan took on the world’s biggest tech giants, gambled billions, lost it all… and came back for more.Episode 1: Impress, Charm and DeceiveA young Masayoshi Son hustles his way through Silicon Valley — using every trick in the book...and outside it.Episode 2: The SoftBank MiracleBack in Japan, Masa builds SoftBank from nothing — surviving betrayal, bankruptcy, and even a terminal illness to become the king of Japan’s software industry.Episode 3: Every Piece of ThemMasa goes global — buying tech magazines, trade fairs, Yahoo shares, and placing a life-changing bet on a then-unknown Chinese startup: Alibaba.Episode 4: Widening the NetAfter the Dot-Com Crash wipes out 96% of his wealth, Masa bets everything on broadband and mobile — taking on Japan’s telecom giants and winning control of Vodafone Japan.Episode 5: WarchestDetermined to rule the future, Masa creates the $100 billion Vision Fund — a war chest so powerful it could turn founders into billionaires overnight — even if their companies were never built to last — all while setting his sights on Artificial Intelligence.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)

Mar 31, 2025 • 33min
STAR (IN) I Darkest Skies, Brightest Stars I 5/5
STAR TV has 800 million monthly viewers in India, but it was never meant to.When media tycoon Richard Li launched the STAR TV network in 1991, his eyes were set on China, with India barely an afterthought. But one unexpected partnership changed everything. Over the decades, STAR would battle rivals, reinvent Indian television, and ultimately become a Disney portfolio company.This is the story of STAR TV - its meteoric rise, bitter betrayals, and ultimate transformation into a media empire commanding over 800 million viewers.Episode 1: The Beginning of the EndRichard Li dismisses India, but a rice farmer-turned-businessman, Subhash Chandra, forces STAR TV to take a second look, setting off a chain of events that will upend the country’s media landscape.Episode 2: The Star That Burned Too BrightRupert Murdoch takes over STAR TV and wages war on Zee. Desperate to localize, STAR launches its own Hindi programming, igniting a fierce battle.Episode 3: Who Wants to Be a Deca-millionaireWith Zee dominating prime time, STAR takes its biggest gamble yet—adapting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for Indian audiences. The stakes? 10 million rupees per episode. (USD$114,450)Episode 4: Black HoleSuccess breeds chaos. As STAR dominates television, internal conflicts and power struggles threaten to consume the empire from within.Episode 5: Darkest Skies, Brightest StarsWith STAR on the brink, a former journalist named Uday Shankar steps in. His unconventional approach will not only save the company, but turn it into a billion-dollar powerhouse.-Our series is proudly sponsored by AlphaSense.-Access expert analyst reports, perfectly summarised by Gen-AI with precision and no hallucinations. Support our productions by booking your free trial today.-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)