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People by WTF

People by WTF

Written by: Nikhil Kamath
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People by WTF is a series where Nikhil Kamath has a conversation with personalities who stand out in their industries around the world.

Copyright 2025 Nikhil Kamath Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • The $120 Billion Man: Poverty, Power & Why Jobs Fix Everything | Ajay Banga x Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF

    The $120 Billion Man: Poverty, Power & Why Jobs Fix Everything | Ajay Banga x Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF
    Apr 21 2026

    Ajay Banga took Mastercard from a $30 billion company to $360 billion in a decade, was the frontrunner to run Citibank's quarter of a million people, quit to become CEO of a company with 4,000 — and today runs the World Bank Group, a $120 billion-a-year institution that was originally built to rebuild Europe and Japan after the Second World War and now exists to kill poverty by creating jobs. He says 600 million people in Africa have zero electricity and he doesn't mean inadequate electricity he means black none, that 1.2 billion young people in the developing world will turn 18 in the next 15 years with only 400 million jobs projected for them, that if you don't give them hope the demographic dividend stops being a light at the end of the tunnel and becomes a freight train, that the five sectors governments should obsess over are infrastructure and smallholder farming and primary healthcare and tourism and value-added manufacturing, that India gets fewer tourists a year than a country a fraction of its size and cultural weight, that the World Bank financed Japan's bullet trains and France's nuclear plants and helped create HDFC, that every dollar invested in tourism creates more jobs than a dollar in any other sector, that fossil fuels aren't going away but energy security is becoming a national security question, that small AI delivered on a phone to an illiterate farmer matters more to the developing world than large language models, that life is 50% luck but most people leave their luck on the station platform and forget about it, and that the only way to put a nail in the coffin of poverty is to give somebody a job because earnings are not just subsistence — they are hope and optimism and the belief that tomorrow will be better than today


    00:00 Introduction

    02:26 AJ's career journey across industries

    09:00 Consumption patterns and consumer insecurity

    15:00 World Bank's five-part structure explained

    22:00 Killing poverty through job creation

    29:00 Primary healthcare and farmer empowerment

    35:00 Wealth concentration versus societal prosperity spread

    42:00 Demographic dividend becoming freight train

    49:00 Five sectors driving future jobs

    56:00 Decency quotient over IQ EQ

    1:03:00 Energy security and nuclear opportunities

    1:10:00 Forward thinking beats historical grievances

    1:17:00 Luck flexibility and taking risks

    1:23:00 Closing message on optimism


    Nikhil Kamath Entrepreneur & Investor


    Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

    Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-bank-group/

    X - https://x.com/WorldBankGroup

    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/worldbankgroup/


    Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify

    https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn

    Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify

    https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59

    Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify

    https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th


    #WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Ajay Banga x Nikhil Kamath | Ep. Trailer | People by WTF

    Ajay Banga x Nikhil Kamath | Ep. Trailer | People by WTF
    Apr 18 2026

    Ajay Banga took Mastercard from a $30 billion company to $360 billion, left when he was the frontrunner to run Citibank's 250,000 people, and now controls $120 billion a year as the President of the World Bank Group — the institution that was built after the Second World War to stop poverty from turning into war. He says life is 50% luck but most people leave their luck on the station platform, that India gets under 20 million tourists a year which is insane for a country with beaches, mountains, culture, history, food and what he calls cool people, and that the world is about to have 1.2 billion young people turn 18 with only 400 million jobs waiting for them — and if you don't give them hope, the demographic dividend becomes a freight train. Full episode drops soon.


    Nikhil Kamath Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas

    Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast

    • Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/


    World Bank Group:

    • X - https://x.com/WorldBankGroup
    • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/worldbankgroup/


    Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify

    https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn


    Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify

    https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59


    Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify

    https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th


    #WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline
    Show More Show Less
    2 mins
  • Rishi Sunak & Akshata Murty: Dharma, Failure & The Middle Path | Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF

    Rishi Sunak & Akshata Murty: Dharma, Failure & The Middle Path | Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF
    Mar 25 2026
    Rishi Sunak says patience is a bigger competitive advantage than speed, that every decision that reaches a leader is 50-50 by definition because if it weren't someone else would have made it, that the long term is just a succession of short terms you either survived or got kicked out of, and that the thing he wishes he'd done more of in his career is read fiction — because non-fiction tells you what to do and how to do it but fiction teaches you why and gives you a deeper understanding of people.Akshata Murty says her identity was never her father's name or her husband's title, that the middle path between stoicism and epicureanism is where the answer almost always lives, and that the validation she chases is impact — not position, not wealth, not the approval of people who've already decided who she is.First couple's episode we've ever done, and it went places none of us expected.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction06:04 Foundery: India's consumer brand accelerator12:20 Storytelling as a leadership superpower18:05 Parents' pharmacy inspired political career24:04 Educating children in the AI era30:05 Leaning into human skills over AI36:17 How Rishi and Akshata decide differently42:10 Goldman Sachs to Prime Minister journey48:03 Patience as an underrated competitive advantage54:15 Entering politics: resilience, patience, service1:00:06 Staying unapologetically Indian in British politics1:06:51 Life inside 10 Downing Street1:12:20 AI sovereignty and global trade tensions1:18:32 De-globalisation and supply chain resilience1:24:38 Free trade, tariffs, and level playing fields1:31:17 Akshata's identity beyond famous family1:37:53 Validation through impact, not inheritance1:44:04 Finding balance between desire and austerity1:50:04 Being kind to yourself after failure1:56:42 Identity, heritage, and the living bridge2:03:03 Nostalgic Bangalore food and childhood memories2:09:05 Why young Indians should enter politics2:16:03 Education, financial literacy, and compounding2:22:04 Learning to learn in the AI age2:29:52 How Rishi and Akshata use AI daily2:37:09 Can AI truly be creative?2:44:06 Losing the Prime Ministership: lessons in dharma2:51:30 Poets versus politicians: who should we hear?2:58:17 Motivating young people to shape policyNikhil KamathCo-founder of Zerodha and GruhasHost of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' PodcastTwitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcioRishi SunakYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rishisunakX: https://x.com/RishiSunak?s=20Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rishisunakmpFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rishisunakAkshata MurtyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@akshataonlineX: https://x.com/anmurtyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rishisunakmpFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rishisunakWatch on Spotifyhttps://tinyurl.com/4nsm4eznhttps://tinyurl.com/yme92c59https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th#WTFiswithnikhilkamath#PeopleByWTF#WTFOnline
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    3 hrs and 2 mins
All stars
Most relevant
People by WTF” hosted by Nikhil Kamath is not just another business podcast — it’s a deep dive into the minds of extraordinary individuals across industries.

What makes this podcast stand out is Nikhil’s calm, curious, and non-judgmental interviewing style. The conversations feel raw, authentic, and intellectually stimulating rather than scripted or overly dramatic. From entrepreneurs and investors to artists and change-makers, every episode offers valuable insights into success, failure, mindset, and life lessons.

The podcast beautifully blends:

Entrepreneurship & wealth creation

Personal growth & philosophy

India’s evolving business landscape

Real struggles behind public success

If you are someone interested in startups, investing, leadership, or simply understanding how high performers think, this series is absolutely worth your time.

Highly recommended for entrepreneurs, students, and curious minds who love meaningful conversations.

Inspiring, Honest & Thought-Provoking Conversation

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