Cross Border
-
How David Velez built no-fee Nubank in Brazil into the most valuable digital bank in the world
David Vélez set out to kill off the fat fees and lousy service of Brazil's big banks. The operation succeeded beyond his wildest dreams: Today, his no-fee Nubank is the most valuable digital bank in the world, with 35 million customers—and he's gunning for more
-
Judy Faulkner is the pioneer of electronic health records. In the Covid-19 era, competition is catching up
The billionaire founder of Epic Systems, pioneered—then dominated—electronic medical records. She's been the industry's leading actor for decades, but now the pandemic is fuelling a digital health care race that may finally cost her the spotlight
-
Winklevoss Brothers: They say Facebook was their idea but they lost the battle for ownership. Now they are bitcoin billionaires
After losing an epic battle with Mark Zuckerberg over ownership of Facebook and being shunned in Silicon Valley, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are back—this time as budding bitcoin billionaires at the centre of the future of money, the creative economy and quite possibly a new operating model for Big Tech itself
-
Global wealth saw record acceleration in 2020, a crisis year. Could it be a reason to celebrate?
Covid-19 brought terrible suffering, economic pain, geopolitical tension—and the greatest acceleration of wealth in human history. Why this pandemic paradox could become a cause for celebration, not concern
-
Meet America's most manipulative billionaire
The inside story of how Bob Brockman, the secretive billionaire who allegedly masterminded America's biggest tax-evasion scheme, used 'Darth Vader' contracts to overcharge auto dealers and finance Robert F Smith's private equity empire
-
Millennials are shunning credit cards. This entrepreneur's new buy-now-pay-later model made him a billionaire
Millennials were shunning plastic and supposedly wary of consumer debt. Affirm's Max Levchin saw a way to repackage the model for younger folks—and it's made him a billionaire
-
Can Instacart's Apoorva Mehta outdo Jeff Bezos?
The pandemic transformed Apoorva Mehta's grocery delivery service into an essential—and booming—business. Now the 34-year-old billionaire is under pressure to outdo Jeff Bezos—all while dodging an avalanche of new competitors, rebellious workers and restless partners
-
Cheat for profit: How Chegg became the most valuable edtech company in the US
Students have always cheated, but the Covid-19-driven shift to online learning has turned a problem into an epidemic. This US edtech company is spinning profits by connecting college students to test answers on demand
-
Apparel's latest trend: Used clothing
Used clothing is the hottest trend in apparel, and big brands are happy to make the profits—but avoid the headaches—by outsourcing the grimy work to tiny Trove, which looks set to grow big
-
Survivers and thrivers: 25 small businesses that stood out during Covid-19
The 25 small businesses listed here, all of which have less than $50 million in 2019 sales and fewer than 200 employees, successfully navigated the turbulent year, even as some founders cope with personal losses from Covid-19
-
The SAT fails its biggest test
America's higher education system was already struggling before the pandemic. Covid-19 made matters worse for students