Spotify cuts 3% of podcasting staff in restructuring

Spotify has laid off 15 people, around 3% of its podcasting staff, as it reorganizes to reduce management layers and speed up decision-making.

The cuts include canceling The Ringer’s sports show New York, New York with John Jastremski, a person familiar with the move said.

A Spotify spokesperson said the company does not comment on staffing shifts.

Spotify has repeatedly adjusted its podcast approach since entering the market in 2019, including moving some previously exclusive shows to wider distribution, such as Joe Rogan’s program on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.

It has also bought podcast studios including Gimlet Media and Parcast, later consolidated them into Spotify Studios, and has begun distributing some Ringer shows on Netflix, including founder Bill Simmons’s program.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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These layoffs tie to a broader cost pullback and a move away from podcast exclusivity

This small round of cuts follows Spotify’s wider cost pullback, after it cut about 1,500 employees, or 17% of its workforce, in late 2023 1.
The cuts came after years of heavy spending to buy podcast studios such as Gimlet Media, Parcast, and The Ringer, plus exclusive deals with talent such as Joe Rogan 2.
The latest reductions also shift some roles toward Spotify’s push into video podcasts 3.
Spotify has stepped back from exclusives and now sends some shows to more places, including a deal that brings select Spotify Studios and The Ringer podcasts to Netflix 4.

Spotify’s shift puts video podcasts at the center of the next platform fight

Wider distribution matches a view from The Ringer founder Bill Simmons, who called it “naive” to think audiences will stick to one destination 4.
Creator deals now lean less on exclusivity payments and more on tools that support multi-platform distribution plus monetization.
Video podcasts raise the stakes with YouTube, which has more than 1 billion monthly viewers for its podcast content, plus Netflix as it moves further into video podcasts 4.
Video also nudges formats toward shorter runs, with Simmons citing seven-to-eight minute episodes as a length that “in 2026 makes a ton of sense” for some shows 4.