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: Leanna Byrne

Producer: Niamh McDermott and Victoriya Holland

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Photo credit: Allison Ellsworth)

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 a press conference for the unveiling of the Chinese model at the WesBank Festival of Motoring in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 27, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Nqobile Dludla)

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)

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 by the United States.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

(Photo credit: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during a doorstep after attending the AI Ecosystem Reception in Tokyo, Japan, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Manami Yamada/File Photo)

For years, China’s property boom helped drive the country’s extraordinary economic growth. At the centre of it was Evergrande, which grew from a regional developer into a sprawling corporate empire, and one of the world’s most indebted companies.

Then the debts caught up with it. Evergrande’s collapse exposed the vulnerabilities of China’s property model, helping push the wider housing market into crisis and weighing on the country’s economy.

Now its founder, Hui Ka-yan, has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes including bribery and illegal use of funds.

Will Bain and Rahul Tandon are joined by Jennifer Pak in Beijing to explore how Evergrande became so big, what went wrong, how its collapse exposed the problems in China’s property model, and what it means for the wider global economy.

(Photo: China Evergrande Group then-Chairman, Hui Ka Yan, attends a news conference on the property developer's annual results in Hong Kong, China 28 March, 2017. He has short black hair with a side parting and wears a white shirt with a red patterned tie and a black suit jacket. In the background is a city skyline of skyscrapers, reflected in blue water. Credit: Bobby Yip/Reuters)

You can email the team: [email protected]

Presenter: Will Bain, Rahul Tandon and Jennifer Pak Producer: David Cann

Sophia Amoruso, founded clothing company Nasty Gal after a successful stint of eBay upselling. It grew into a company worth hundreds of millions and allowed its founder to claim the title of original "girl boss" but eventually filed for bankruptcy.

In the space of a few years, she had swapped shoplifting items to sell on Amazon and eBay for clinking champagne flutes in the South of France, schmoozing investors and having her book turned into a Netflix series and dealing with unhappy employees. Did swift success stifle what Nasty Gal could have become?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Niamh McDermott, Barbara George, Aleeza Siddiq and Victoriya Holland

(Photo credit: Sophie Amoruso)

You can email the team: [email protected]

Europe's drought has reduced water levels on the Danube, causing headaches and lost income for companies generating electricity from hydro, coal-fired and nuclear power plants. We travel down the river, stopping off in Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Romania to look at how each country is dealing with the challenges and what ordinary people are doing to help.

(Photo: People check the Danube River as it flows at a record-low water level in downtown Budapest, Hungary, 28 July 2026. Credit: Zoltan Balogh/EPA/Shutterstock)

Presenter: Hannah Mullane Producer: Gideon Long

Europe is taking an increasingly tough line on trade with China, accusing Beijing of subsidising exports and flooding European markets with cheap goods. Businesses and governments warn that Chinese competition is putting European industries and jobs at risk, while China's growing dominance of supply chains is adding to concerns in Brussels. Ed Butler asks whether these accusations are fair, what Europe can do about them, and whether the two sides are heading for a new trade war.

Producer/presenter: Ed Butler

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Photo: A staff member prepares for the arrival of Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and EU Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera during China-EU Sixth High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue, Beijing, 14 July 2025, Credit: Reuters)

The proposed sale of the LA Lakers has reignited debate about the soaring value of sports teams. Here's another chance to hear our episode exploring what drives the value of a basketball franchise.

Presenter/producer: Guy Kilty Editor: Helen Thomas

Episode first published on 27 November 2025

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Image: Los Angeles Lakers star player LeBron James drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz during the game on 23 November 2025. Credit: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

What does the future hold for social media? Will Bain is joined by Takara Small in Toronto and Han Lin in Shanghai to discuss growing legal challenges facing Meta over how its platforms target and affect young users, and what the latest case could mean for the company and the wider industry. They also look at the extraordinary stock market debut of Chinese robotics company Unitree, whose shares jumped by 500%, and ask what could happen next as the US considers new tariffs on Canada.

You can email the team: [email protected]

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Rebecca Smyllie

AI is driving a data-centre boom. The vast, energy-hungry facilities that power everything from ChatGPT to cloud computing are multiplying rapidly as governments and technology companies race to build them. But their growing demand for land, electricity and water is fuelling opposition in communities around the world. Rahul Tandon and Will Bain explore why demand for data centres is soaring, who's building them, and what happens when the demands of the AI economy collide with local communities.

Presenters: Will Bain and Rahul Tandon Producer: David Cann

(Picture: A sign that says ‘No Goodman Data Centre’ is displayed outside a home in the suburb of Lane Cove, in Sydney, Australia, August 14, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Hollie Adams)

Harry Sanders is the founder of StudioHawk, an SEO agency that helps businesses around the world get found online. He talks about going from sleeping under a bridge at 17 to building a company that works with major brands including Fujifilm and New Balance and discusses how AI is reshaping his industry and the future of search.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Niamh McDermott

You can email the team: [email protected]

(Picture: Harry Sanders)