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Not sure there are many Indian’s alive today who have created something extraordinary in not just one but two worlds of completely different realms. Nikhil Kamath did it in finance first, co-founding Zerodha and becoming one of India’s youngest self-made billionaires, then he quietly created a platform in podcasting that has hosted everyone from Prime Ministers to global tech legends.
What started as a weekly chat series with friends and industry figures has become one of India’s most watched and discussed podcast platforms in the world. Through WTF is and People by WTF, Nikhil Kamath has created something completely different to anything else on India’s content landscape-thoughtfully serious, unapologetically authentic, and inquisitively interested in the world.
This blog looks at the exceptional journey of Nikhil Kamath and the 10 podcast episodes that made his platform.
- Nikhil Kamath's Life Journey
- Why WTF is Became So Popular
- Nikhil Kamath's 10 Best & Trending Podcast Videos
- 1. Narendra Modi Podcast – Leadership, Governance & India's Future
- 2. Elon Musk Podcast – AI, Consciousness & The Future of Humanity
- 3. Ray Dalio Podcast – Wealth, Finance & How Money Really Works
- 4. Kriti Sanon, Badshah & KL Rahul Podcast – Making It in an Offbeat Career
- 5. Nithin Kamath, Bryan Johnson & Experts Podcast – Longevity & Living Longer
- 6. Sam Altman Podcast – The AI Revolution & What It Means for India
- 7. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Podcast – Building a Billion-Dollar Business from Scratch
- 8. Tanmay Bhat Podcast – Mental Health, Comedy & Life Online
- 9. Aadit Palicha Podcast – Startup Life, Quick Commerce & Building Zepto
- 10. Nikhil Kamath Podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia – Investing, Risk Management, and Wealth
- Why Nikhil Kamath's Podcasts Stand Out
- Impact on Indian Podcast Culture
Nikhil Kamath’s Life Journey
Nikhil Kamath was born in Scotland – in the sleepy town of Shimoga, Karnataka, India. The years that followed saw Nikhil grow up in glamourous Bangalore. His father worked for the Canara Bank and his mother was a business woman running her own event management company. His family, by all accounts, lived within the middle class with no real hardships; the exact family life where one couldn’t complain; where there was little to speak of, and a lot to achieve.
He left school after his tenth year of studies, not because he wasn’t able to go further, but because he didn’t feel that the way in which the schools taught anything had much relevance to the way in which he thought. His classmates sat in classrooms, he’d sit down to learn how to play chess, rather than school books and teach himself how the money market worked by spending hours and hours on end.
His first job was at a call center and he was earning around eight thousand rupees a month. However, from then he was utilizing whatever money he was saving for testing the stock market and he became very skilled relatively early.
In 2010 he and elder brother Nithin Kamath together set up the discount brokerage Zeodha that stood to revolutionize India’s financial services sector. When trading was most costly, complex and non- equitable, Zeodha demystified, affordable and democratized the entire process to every citizen owning a smart phone. Currently, Zeodha emerged as India’s largest retail stock-broker based on trading volume and Nikhil Kamath’s has a net worth of $ 3.37 billion.
However, for Nikhil wealth was never the destination. He subsequently co-founded True Beacon, an asset management business catering for ultra high-net-worth investors and Gruhas, a venture capital fund investing in consumer brands and sustainability ventures. Nikhil was also the founder of WTFund, a non-dilutive grant scheme that provides young Indian entrepreneurs (under 25) funding and hand-holding to realize their ambitious ideas.
And right in the middle of all this, he became a podcaster. Not for any strategic business reasons, but because the world is something he’s authentically and intensely curious about, and podcasting was the best way to indulge that curiosity.
Why WTF is Became So Popular
The podcast succeeds because Kamath isn’t trying. He’s not positioning himself as the most insightful voice in the room or the smartest guy in the room. He’s just this guy who gets excited by ideas and, quite uncommonly, has a knack for prompting others -whether they be billionaires, politicians or pop stars-to be more candid than they otherwise would be.
His shows cover an extraordinary range of subjects:
- Entrepreneurship and wealth creation
- Artificial intelligence & the future of technology
- Politics and governance
- Health-living long and living well. The science of enjoying life and vitality.
- Entertainment, sport, and offbeat careers
- Philosophy, consciousness and what makes a successful life
The end product is a site that draws viewers from every walk of life: students, founders, investors, artists, the merely inquisitive…they all want to make sense of the world.
Nikhil Kamath’s 10 Best & Trending Podcast Videos
1. Narendra Modi Podcast – Leadership, Governance & India’s Future
Small Brief
A historic first! Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears on his first podcast ever, in a two-hour interview to People by WTF in January 2025, talking about his rise to power, India’s digital revolution, world wars and his vision for his nation.
This episode is now among the most-watched political pods in India’s digital history. Modi speaks with extraordinary openness about his early days in power, his style of governance and leading a $1.4 billion people through fast transformation.
2. Elon Musk Podcast – AI, Consciousness & The Future of Humanity
Small Brief
PeoplebyWTF ) featuring Nikhil Kamath was considered the broadest and most real interview Elon Musk has done on the show by many viewers. They discussed AI, startups, consciousness, money, family and the kind of future we might actually have.
This episode established Nikhil Kamath as a household name in the world of podcasting globally. Through it, soundbites of Musk’s statements about AI and the future of work were circulated millions of times, becoming the most quoted episode of the show around the world.
3. Ray Dalio Podcast – Wealth, Finance & How Money Really Works
Small Brief
Legendary investor and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio sat down with Nikhil to walk through the fundamentals of how money is really made and lost, the factors behind asset bubbles, and steps you can take to safeguard and build your money.\
Ray Dalio’s natural gift of communicating his financial concepts in simple language and Nikhil’s inside view of a finance entrepreneur, resulted in one of the most truly educative financial conversations on any Indian platform.
4. Kriti Sanon, Badshah & KL Rahul Podcast – Making It in an Offbeat Career
Small Brief
In a rare occurrence, besides with Nikhil sat down some of the three of the largest names of India from three entirely different industries-Bollywood, music and cricket-to understand what it really takes to make it in one’s career that most would believe not to venture into-
The conversation took detours into the depths of celebrity commentaries. It uncovered the aspects of fame and grandeur from the predestined road made to success, the nuances of the mind of the ambitious individual, the significance of talent in comparison with being marketable and current, and how to manage the stay at the top position. A comedy masterpiece that became a classic.
5. Nithin Kamath, Bryan Johnson & Experts Podcast – Longevity & Living Longer
Small Brief
Nikhil assembled an incredible panel (His brother Nithin Kamath and bio hacker Bryan Johnson among them) on one of the oldest earthly pursuits, how to live longer and healthily. The discussion ranged from the latest and greatest in longevity medicine to philosophical considerations of aging.
Blew up is a bit of an understatement for this one. Some of it was the dramatic exit Bryan Johnson made in the middle of the episode complaining about air quality but largely people just thought the topic was interesting. A discussion on the future of human health that felt different from a lot of what Indian podcasts put out.
6. Sam Altman Podcast – The AI Revolution & What It Means for India
Small Brief
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had a chat with Nikhil Kamath on the future of ai, the dangers and opportunities of ai, and the implications of ai for a country like India.
Altman was candid about uncertainties in the development of AI, the responsibility in developing technologies that could change the world, and India is at a critical juncture in choosing its engagement with the AI revolution.
7. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Podcast – Building a Billion-Dollar Business from Scratch
Small Brief
Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw appeared with Nikhil to talk about her incredible journey of creating one of India’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies in a garage in Bengaluru at a time when female entrepreneurs were few and far between.
She openly shared the challenges she encountered, the crossroads she traversed, and the duty she bears as being one of the most respected business giants of India. An episode of great learning for anyone creating something impactful.
8. Tanmay Bhat Podcast – Mental Health, Comedy & Life Online
Small Brief
Comedian and digital creator Tanmay Bhat discussed, candidly with Nikhil, the very visible toll his mental health challenges have taken on him, why he took an extended break from the spotlight, and lessons he has garnered with this hiatus.
This was one of the most sincere conversations around mental health that Indian digital content has ever produced. The honesty that Tanmay shared, paired with Nikhil’s insightful questions, made this something that was felt by a generation a…
9. Aadit Palicha Podcast – Startup Life, Quick Commerce & Building Zepto
Small Brief
Zepto co-founder and one of India’s most daring and youngest startup entrepreneurs-mdash;Aadit Palicha-mdash;joined Nikhil to explore what it really takes to build a truly fast growing, high paced company, give us a glimpse ofthe gruelling startup life and how to go to the top of India’s consumer economy.
A great exchange between two individuals representing very distinct age groups of the Indian entrepreneurial journey focusing on how things have evolved and what continues to remain the same in building meaningful businesses.
10. Nikhil Kamath Podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia – Investing, Risk Management, and Wealth
Small Brief
In this engaging chat with Ranveer Allahbadia, Nikhil Kamath discusses his perspective on investing, growing wealth, embracing risk, and practicing financial discipline. As the co-founder of Zerodha, he provides valuable insights into why maintaining a long-term outlook, practicing patience, and embracing lifelong learning are fundamental to accumulating wealth.
This was easily the most raw episode. These were not polished, neatly packaged success stories, but real honest conversations about wondering, wanting, and the nascent beginnings of actually creating something. Truly one of the most authentic interviews in the history of the series.
Why Nikhil Kamath’s Podcasts Stand Out
That’s what makes Nikhil Kamath different from most podcasters-it isn’t just curiosity he has in conversations, it’s experience. When he addresses investors, he is speaking with insider knowledge; when he addresses entrepreneurs, he speaks from experience. That insight makes his inquiries more penetrating and his interviews more authentic.
He also possesses another atypical characteristic as an interviewer: he’s at ease with ambiguity. He never pretends to have all the answers, he isn’t burdened with them. The circumstances of the show’open him up for a better expression. He welcomes this opportunity for candid conversation.
Impact on Indian Podcast Culture
Kamath entered the Indian podcasting space just in time as Indians were craving for something more serious and more substantial. His platform has shown that there is a real and hungry crowd for long form intellectual conversations – from geopolitics to grief.
His triumphs with visitors such as the PM of India and Elon Musk have also proven that Indian podcasters can match the best in the world, with global guests and international conversations.
1. Who is Nikhil Kamath?
Nikhil Kamath is an Indian entrepreneur, investor and podcaster. He is the co founder of Zerodha, India’s largest retail stockbroker and the host of podcasts;F*%k is and People by WTF.
2. What is WTF?
What the Fuck is another podcast show by Nikhil Kamath that does this. It involves him sitting together with other friends, entrepreneurs, famous people, whatever worth chatting with that might be anyone from Bill Gates to Elon Musk, and having inspired and laid-back chats about anything from philosophy to technology.
3. Which is Nikhil Kamath’s most popular podcast episode?
More of these grand fireside chats, featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Ray Dalio are some of the most viewed and discussed episodes on his channel.
4. Why is Nikhil Kamath’s podcast so popular?
What set his podcast apart from most other content available in India was his genuine interest in intellectual pursuits, real-life insight into business and an ability to get people to open up and admit to aspects of themselves they would usually never discuss.
5. What topics does Nikhil Kamath cover?
A secondary rather more popular site to find good content. In blog post format, he blogs about business, investing, artificial intelligence, politics, health and longevity, entertainment, philosophy and the future of technology and society.
6. How has Nikhil Kamath influenced Indian podcast culture?
He has demonstrated that India has a large and willing audience for long and profound intellectual conversations and brought more than a few marquee guests from the world to the Indian podcast blue platform.
Final Thoughts
The tale of how a teenage stock-broker from Bengaluru named Nikhil Kamath quit school and went on to become a billionaire, by inviting Presidents and Pop Stars to podcasts, is perhaps the best you will hear from Indian entrepreneurs.
Where his podcasting venture differs from others is not in the kind of spaces his guests operate in, although they are substantial, but in the conversations he manages to draw out of them. He is incurably inquisitive, straight-up honest and passionate about ideas that are interesting, and it has been this combination over a protracted period of time that has made him one of the most credible and trusted Indian digital platforms.
With Indian Podcast culture reaching any of its peaks, Nikhil Kamath is one of the loudest and silent voices.
Nikhil Kamath Social Media Accounts
