Amazon is allegedly making significant changes to its podcast division, breaking up its Wondery podcast network and eliminating approximately 110 jobs, as the company sets its sights on more video-based series. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent is also exiting the company.
According to Bloomberg News, a memo sent to staff reports the Wondery brand will continue in a limited capacity, but most of its existing shows will be absorbed into other Amazon divisions. Some series will shift under the Audible banner, while personality-driven programs, including Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, will join a newly formed creator services team.
Amazon bought Wondery in 2020 for an estimated $300 million, but many high-profile shows have been poached by other production companies in recent years, with possibly the largest being SiriusXM’s nine-figure acquisition of SmartLess in January 2024.
In the memo, Amazon Vice President of Audio, Twitch, and Games Steve Boom acknowledged the strategy change, particularly the rise of video changing what it means to be a podcaster.
Wondery’s narrative content studio, which produces popular series like Dr. Death, will now operate under Audible, with Wondery Chief Content Officer Marshall Lewy taking a new position at the audiobook subsidiary. The Wondery+ subscription app will remain active for now, but its team will report directly to Audible.
In addition, Wondery’s advertising and sponsorships arm will merge into a broader Amazon Music and creator-led monetization group, intended to scale sponsorship integration across platforms.
This is not the first audio venture that Amazon has pulled the plug on. In 2023, the company discontinued Amp, a live-audio app that allowed users to run their own miniature radio stations by curating music and speaking alongside tracks.
