Beyond software and chips, the AI boom relies on good old-fashioned manufacturing of essential components – a skill that has made a new class of people very, very rich.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg reporter Cindy Wang and Opinion columnist Catherine Thorbecke about how nimble producers—think toilet manufacturers and furniture makers—pivoted to this booming industry, and the risks of concentrating too much AI manufacturing in one part of the world.

Read more: ‘Like It’s Raining Gold’: The AI Boom’s Unexpected Billionaires

Bloomberg Billionaires Index: 500 of the World’s Richest People 

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Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Guests: Cindy Wang, Catherine Thorbecke; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Paddy Hirsch Engineering by Greg Tock.

Beyond software and chips, the AI boom relies on good old-fashioned manufacturing of essential components &ndash; a skill that has made a new class of people very, very rich.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take Asia podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg reporter Cindy Wang and Opinion columnist Catherine Thorbecke about how nimble producers&mdash;think toilet manufacturers and furniture makers&mdash;pivoted to this booming industry, and the risks of concentrating too much AI manufacturing in one part of the world.
Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-09-15/how-the-ai-boom-is-minting-billionaires-rewarding-picks-and-shovels-sellers?srnd=undefined">&lsquo;Like It&rsquo;s Raining Gold&rsquo;: The AI Boom&rsquo;s Unexpected Billionaires</a>
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Bloomberg Billionaires Index: 500 of the World&rsquo;s Richest People</a>&nbsp;
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts"> Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Guests: Cindy Wang, Catherine Thorbecke; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Paddy Hirsch Engineering by Greg Tock.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

Big Take

The Surprising People Getting Very Rich Off AI 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9cb94873-19db-4b89-a303-b4db015ee58c/transcript