Five years ago, Apple reportedly considered acquiring podcast studio Wondery for around $400 million. At the time, Spotify and other companies were spending millions on putting podcasts behind paywalls to boost their businesses and steal mindshare from Apple.
Ultimately, Wondery went to Amazon. For its part, Apple redefined “subscribing” to a podcast to mean paying a monthly fee for member-supported perks. Wondery became one of many podcast studios with paid subscription features inside Apple’s Podcasts app.
This reflected Apple’s focus on building tools that let podcasters (and Apple) monetize listener loyalty. Apple has still dabbled with its own original podcast series, but mostly in service of Apple TV+ content.
Fast-forward to today, and Amazon has reportedly slashed more than one hundred jobs at Wondery. Bloomberg reports that the move is part of a reshuffle that acknowledges video’s role in evolving the idea of what entails a podcast in 2025:
About 110 people will lose their jobs because of the move, according to a person familiar with the plans. In addition, Wondery Chief Executive Officer Jen Sargent will exit the company, according to a memo to staff viewed by Bloomberg News. Existing Wondery series will either be moved under Amazon’s Audible banner or become part of the company’s new “creator services” team, which will become home to personality-driven shows, including Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast. The Wondery brand will still exist on some of these creator services-run shows. The moves are an acknowledgement that Amazon’s big push into podcasts hasn’t worked out as planned. Despite signing up some of the biggest names in the business, the online retailer is shifting strategies to compete better with platforms like Spotify Technology SA and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube as podcasts shift to video formats from audio-only.
The remaining storytelling team at Wondery is moving under Amazon’s Audible umbrella, per the report.
9to5Mac’s Take
Bloomberg quotes Amazon’s Steve Boom with what is probably the most apt description of podcasting’s shift lately:
“The podcast landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years,” Steve Boom, vice president of audio, Twitch and games, wrote in the memo. “The rise of video has also blurred the lines on what it means to be a podcast creator.”
When looking at my own podcast listening habits, I still prefer audio for its portability these days. Still, at least half of the shows I listen to regularly either include a video version or are video-first with content on YouTube.
While it’s always sad to learn that people are losing their jobs, the story itself shows that the transition from paid audio to video-first podcasts is well underway.