The Business

This episode of The Business is sponsored by PwC.As AI rapidly reshapes the world of work, businesses face the biggest transformation since the industrial revolution. While 90% of CEOs surveyed are investing in AI, only 15% are currently getting the value. So, what are the tools driving productivity gains? How can companies move AI from an IT project to one that’s truly integrated across the business? And how exactly are the UK’s largest employers preparing their workforces for the future? In this special bonus episode of The Business, recorded at the Times Tech Summit, Dominic O'Connell chairs a discussion with those at the forefront of this new technology.   Guests:Dr Seth Dobrin, CEO, Qantm AIDanielle Gilliam-Moore, Director, Global Public Policy, SalesforceUmang Paw, Chief Technology Officer, PwC  Hosts:Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times Radio

Fried chicken is booming in Britain - the market is now worth over £3bn a year. Up and down high streets, a whole new generation of fast food chicken restaurants have sprung up, buzzy US imports like Wingstop and Dave’s Hot Chicken, putting pressure on the established brands.In part, it’s down to Gen Z enthusiasm, driven by pop culture hits like Chicken Shop Date as well as viral ASMR videos of crunching, chewing and sizzling. So how can the market leader and established brand KFC maintain its dominance? And what does the fried chicken boom tell us about the way Britain - and British diets - are changing ?Guest: Rob Swain, General Manager, KFC UK & IrelandHosts: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business correspondent, Times RadioProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonDevelopment Editor: Sandra ShmueliExecutive Producer: Kate FordGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

It’s being described as a "smorgasbord" of a budget - an offer from Rachel Reeves made up not of big, bold moves but of small, bite-sized titbits. But tax is up, spending is up and debt is still high - so do the measures add up to anything appetising for business at all? We pick over the details, from the big picture to the small tweaks in this budget special.Guests: Helen Miller, Institute for Fiscal StudiesSteve Rigby, Rigby GroupRichard Fletcher, Business Editor, The TimesHosts: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business correspondent, Times RadioProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonDevelopment Editor: Sandra ShmueliExecutive Producer: Kate FordGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

More than $1 trillion has been wiped from the Crypto market in just six short weeks, but on The Business we hear from a man who still trusts Bitcoin more than any other currency. While many around the world fret about crypto crooks and markets that can be spooked by vibes alone, what’s it like to be ‘all in’ on Bitcoin? Andrew Webley, the founder and chief executive of the The Smarter Web Company, knows very well. He pivoted his web design agency into a so-called crypto treasury - that’s a company that holds digital assets as opposed to traditional treasury assets like cash or bonds. A long-time Bitcoin investor, Andrew was inspired by the approach of American crypto treasury evangelist Michael Saylor, and the billions he made through his bitcoin treasury company Strategy. The Smarter Web Company floated on the Aquis Stock Exchange in April this year, reaching a billion-pound market capitalisation in the summer. Now, despite the crypto slump, and his own company’s share price plunging by more than 70% since July, Andrew remains a steadfast believer in the future of Bitcoin, and the strength of his company.Guests: Andrew Webley, Smarter Web Company Hosts: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business correspondent, Times RadioProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonDevelopment Editor: Sandra ShmueliExecutive Producer: Kate FordGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

There are few things that are as fascinating, thrilling - and sometimes as completely confounding - as the stock market. Right now, that's as true as ever. Consider Nvidia, which became the world's first $5 trillion company last month - putting its value higher than the GDP of every country except the US and China. Is there a logic to it, or is this plain madness? To get a grip on the forces at play, Dom and Hannah explore some historical parallels, first with Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York-based financial journalist and author of the book 1929, which explores the market crash of that year. Plus, veteran investment analyst Stephen Clapham joins Dom and Hannah.What can we learn from the market crashes of the past? Is there a brewing AI bubble about to pop? And are there some more troubling, lesser known stress points in the system? Guests: Andrew Ross Sorkin, journalist and author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History — and How It Shattered a NationStephen Clapham, veteran investment analyst and founder of Behind the Balance Sheet, an investment research and investor training consultancy Hosts: Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times RadioYou can buy the following books mentioned in this episode at the Times Bookshop:1929 by Andrew Ross SorkinToo big to fail by Andrew Ross SorkinNudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R SunsteinEngines that move markets by Alisdair NairnProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonDevelopment Editor: Sandra ShmueliExecutive Producer: Kate FordGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

This episode of The Business is sponsored by PwC.All eyes are on Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepares her autumn Budget. There have been hints at manifesto-breaking tax increases as she warns that everyone will have to do their “bit for the security of our country and the brightness of its future.” But what could all that mean in practice for business? Barret Kupelian, UK Chief Economist at PwC and Claire Blackburn, PwC UK Head of Tax, join Dom and Hannah on this bonus episode to consider the choices the Chancellor is facing, what measures she might announce - and what they may indicate for Britain’s economic trajectory.    Guests:Barret Kupelian, UK Chief Economist at PwCClaire Blackburn, PwC UK Head of TaxHosts:Hannah Prevett, Associate Business Editor, The Sunday TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist, The Times & business reporter, Times Radio