A Long Time In Finance

Steve Sasson, the electrical engineer who built the first digital camera, shares firsthand technical history from inside Kodak. He recounts building the prototype, early CCD limits, internal skepticism, secrecy and patent choices. The conversation traces Kodak’s R&D culture, half measures like Advantix, and how the digital and smartphone ecosystems ultimately overturned film.

Brian Potter, Chief Infrastructure Fellow and semiconductor expert, explains ASML’s rise from Dutch origins to global lithography leader. Short, punchy segments cover how lithography shapes chips, the race to shorter wavelengths, the EUV breakthrough, and why ASML—not Nikon or Canon—took the lead. Stories include industry politics, big chipmaker investments, and a decade‑long technological gamble.

It was supposed to bring in the cash to revive Britain's creaking railway network. But then it all went wrong for the listed network owner. A series of tragic accidents undermined public confidence, beginning the slow unravelling of rail privatisation as a whole. Neil and Jonathan talk to Gerald Corbett, one time boss of Railtrack, about the privatisation project, the accidents, and what went right and wrong.The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Advanced Valuation in Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Gerald Corbett.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Kochan, an investigative journalist and author of The Guinness Affair, dives into the notorious Guinness scandal of the 1980s, revealing how it shattered traditional City norms. He discusses 'Deadly Ernest' Saunders's rise and the machinations behind the share support schemes that manipulated stock prices. Kochan also highlights key players like Ivan Boesky and the scandal's fallout, including arrests and trials, alongside Saunders' miraculous health recovery that shocked many. The conversation underscores the scandal's enduring impact on financial regulation.

Brian Potter, a Senior Infrastructure Fellow and author specializing in shipbuilding history, shares insights on Britain’s decline from global shipbuilding leader to near-oblivion. He explores historical advantages and productivity in the 19th century, highlighting how strong unions and rigid methods stifled modernization. The discussion touches on the impact of foreign competition, missed opportunities like containerization, and the late arrival of nationalization. Potter debates whether this decline was inevitable, offering stark lessons for today’s industrial strategies.

In the 19th century, Britain transformed itself into the workshop of the world by harnessing the power of coal and steam. Now a new energy revolution - that of renewable power - looks set to turn the UK into something closer to a workhouse inhabited by the destitute. But how did it all happen and why did politicians buy into it? We look at how Britain fashioned a disastrous energy trap for itself, and ask if there's any way out.The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Morris, a seasoned banker and buyout expert, dives into the $7 trillion private equity industry. He traces its origins from the 1970s and discusses how pension funds became deeply invested. Morris elaborates on the 'two-and-twenty' fund model, the implications of deregulation, and why massive fees are a norm. The conversation also touches on the industry's adaptability after economic downturns and its future convergence with public markets. Insights into the challenges posed by high leverage and agency problems provide a thought-provoking look at this financial realm.

The publishing mogul Robert Maxwell lived a life shrouded in mystery that was ultimately capped by great disgrace. But was he an out and out villain, like Anthony Trollope's fictional swindler in The Way We Live Now, or a more nuanced and tragic figure? We discuss the life, legacy and deals of the great pension purloiner with his biographer, John Preston. Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With John Preston.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Presented in partnership with the Library of Mistakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Britain's economy mired in 1970s misery, we thought we'd brighten things up a bit. So this week we present the most 1970s story ever: the history of GREEN SHIELD STAMPS! Oldies will know, but for younger listeners, you collected them in books, kids, and exchanged them for glass tumblers and soda syphons. Groovy huh? Neil and Jonathan talk to Prof Leigh Sparks about how they worked and changed British retail for ever.The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fred Goodwin led Royal Bank of Scotland to ruin and Britain to the brink of financial disaster. But who was the man they called Fred the Shred and how did he build RBS into (briefly) the world's largest bank? And how was he allowed to make such a complete horlicks of it? In our first live show at the Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh, Neil and Jonathan discuss these issues with Ian Fraser, author of Shredded, the seminal history of the fall of RBS. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Ian Fraser. In partnership with the Library of Mistakes.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.