Amazon breaks up Wondery podcast operation, cutting 110 staff members

Amazon is reportedly restructuring its podcast division, breaking up Wondery’s operation as a part of a broader strategic overhaul of its audio business. 

Approximately 110 employees have been laid off due to the reorganisation, a source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, and Wondery CEO Jen Sargent will be departing the company as told in an internal memo to staff.

Wondery's existing content slate will now be split across two Amazon teams, with narrative-driven shows moving under its audiobook and podcast platform, Audible. Marshall Lewy, Wondery’s Chief Content Officer, will join Audible in a new role.

Meanwhile, personality-driven shows will now be incorporated into a new “creator services” team that will focus on talent-led content and monetisation strategies. The team aims to package better and monetise talent-driven podcasts, aligning with Amazon-wide sponsorship efforts.

The Wondery brand will continue to appear on some of the creator services' content, though Wondery as an independent operation is effectively being dissolved. The Wondery+ team, which operates the subscription app, will now report to Audible, and the Wondery+ app will remain active “for the foreseeable future”.

Wondery’s ad and sponsorships team will be restructured to manage deals across both Amazon Music and the new creator-led programmes.

Amazon acquired Wondery in 2020 for a reported $300 million, allowing it to operate independently until now. In May 2024, Wondery launched Ad Analytics, a measurement suite aimed at improving podcast advertising transparency, including brand lift, sales attribution, and brand safety ratings in partnership with Barometer.

In the internal memo, Amazon VP of Audio, Twitch, and Games, Steve Boom, said the changes were made due to Wondery’s original podcast strategy underperforming. The podcast landscape has also evolved, with the rise of video blurring the lines of what it means to be a podcast creator. 

Boom said: “These changes will not only better align our teams as they work to take advantage of the strategic opportunities ahead but, even more crucially, will ensure we have the right structure in place to deliver the very best experience to creators, customers and advertisers.”