Acquired

Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal pick a company, read everything ever written about it, and then talk for four hours. That is the whole format, and somehow it works. Acquired started as a scrappy side project covering tech M&A deals and has become one of the most listened-to business shows in the world, with episodes on Nvidia, TSMC, Costco, LVMH, Hermès, and Meta routinely topping six or seven hours. The depth is the draw. By the time Ben and David finish a company, you understand how it actually makes money, which early decisions compounded into a moat, and which near-death moments most histories skip. Their Nvidia series in particular became required listening inside the industry, partly because Jensen Huang later sat with them for a follow-up. The hosts are generous with their enthusiasm and allergic to hot takes, which makes the show feel more like sitting in on a very long study session than a news program. Production is clean, the ad reads are tolerable, and the occasional live episodes at venues like Chase Center add a strange stadium-rock energy to what is, at heart, two guys nerding out about 10-Ks. If you care about how companies are built rather than what happened yesterday, Acquired is the gold standard.