Business History Podcast
Hosted by Business History
Two former NPR Planet Money hosts narrate surprising, deeply-researched stories from the history of business and capitalism.
This is a bi-weekly narrative history lesson for business nerds, delivered as a video podcast. Each episode is a tightly-scripted, deeply-researched case study on a single topic—a person, a company, or a concept—that shaped modern capitalism, told with the hosts' signature folksy-but-authoritative NPR style.
“Unlike interview-driven business shows, this is pure narrative storytelling from two hosts with long-established chemistry. Their knack for finding the perfect analogy (sometimes from a children's book) makes complex economic theories feel simple and memorable.”
Who hosts this show
Business History is hosted by Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith, both veteran journalists and former co-hosts of NPR's Planet Money. They explore the surprising stories behind businesses and economic ideas, from the invention of the price tag to the rise and fall of corporate giants. The show, produced by Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts, uses a narrative format to examine what lessons can be learned from historical founders and innovators.
Credentials & credits
- Jacob Goldstein: Author of 'Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing'
- Jacob Goldstein: Former co-host of NPR's Planet Money
- Jacob Goldstein: MA in Journalism, Columbia University
- Robert Smith: Professor of Journalism, Columbia University
- Robert Smith: Director, Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism
- Robert Smith: Former co-host of NPR's Planet Money
Other ventures
- Planet Money (NPR)
- What's Your Problem? (Podcast)
- The Indicator from Planet Money (Podcast)
- Pushkin Industries (Production Company)
- iHeartPodcasts (Production Company)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01The Business Idea That Changed Shopping Forever | Business History PodcastJun 24, 2026 · 41 min
- 02The Hidden Reason Startups Beat Billion-Dollar Companies | Business History PodcastJun 17, 2026 · 41 min
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06The Craziest Business Idea of the 1800s Actually Worked | Business History PodcastMay 20, 2026 · 47 min
- 07
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01The Business Idea That Changed Shopping Forever | Business History Podcast
A perfect example of the show's premise, this episode tells the origin story of a fundamental business concept—the price tag—through the biography of innovator John Wanamaker.
- 02The Hidden Reason Startups Beat Billion-Dollar Companies | Business History Podcast
This episode masterfully breaks down Clayton Christensen's influential and often misunderstood theory of 'disruptive innovation' using clear, historical case studies.
- 03Before Big Tech, There Was Big Oil: How Ida Tarbell Took Down Rockefeller's Empire
A high-stakes narrative of muckraking journalism versus corporate power, this episode details Ida Tarbell's investigation into Standard Oil, a classic story of American business and regulation.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a co-hosted narrative show with no guests or interviews. Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith script and narrate historical stories, using a conversational back-and-forth style, archival quotes, and sound design to build a scene. The podcast also releases full video versions of each episode.
Signature segments
- · Show introduction: 'This is Business History, a show about the history of business.'
- · Using children's books as analogies for complex business theories.
- · A recurring rhetorical question to explain economic principles, e.g., 'What happens when everybody gets into a commodity business?'
Topics covered repeatedly
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Sponsors are typically B2B service providers and fintech companies (e.g., Odoo, PayPal) whose products align with a business-savvy audience interested in commerce and innovation.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of Business History?
- The hosts are Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith, veteran journalists best known for their work on NPR's Planet Money.
- Is this an interview podcast?
- No, it is a co-hosted narrative podcast. The hosts tell historical stories without interviewing guests.
- What is the format of the show?
- Each episode is a deep dive into a single story from business history, told by the two hosts in a conversational, scripted format. The show is also available in a full video format on YouTube.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes weekly on Wednesdays.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Business History is available on major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as on YouTube.
- What other podcasts have the hosts made?
- Both hosts are famous for their work on NPR's Planet Money. Jacob Goldstein also hosts 'What's Your Problem?', and both were involved in 'The Indicator from Planet Money'.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Business History - Podcast - Pushkinpushkin.fm
- [02]Jacob Goldstein - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [03]Robert Smith (journalist, born 1967) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [04]Jacob Goldstein's Profile | Muck Rackmuckrack.com
- [05]Robert Smith - Podcast Host - Business History | LinkedInlinkedin.com
- [06]Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts launch new podcast Business History | Podnewspodnews.net
- [07]Business History | iHeartiheart.com
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