Malcolm Gladwell’s podcasting studio, Pushkin Industries, has announced layoffs of nearly a third of its staff. This comes a year after the bestselling author received backlash on social media for urging Americans to return to the office.
Bloomberg News reports that 17 out of Pushkin’s 54 employees have been let go, with members of the executive team being among those affected. Malcolm Gladwell himself will step down as president but will assume the role of editorial director. Gretta Cohn, who joined Pushkin Industries after her podcasting company Transmitter was acquired, will take over as president.
The company has not yet announced who will serve as the new CEO.
This move by Pushkin Industries reflects the challenges faced by the media industry, with advertising revenue dwindling in an increasingly fragmented market. Earlier this year, Spotify laid off 6% of its staff due to financial difficulties related to its podcast investments.
In a similar vein, Sony Group recently shut down Emily Ratajkowski’s podcast and laid off a significant percentage of its podcast division.
Pushkin Industries, co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg in 2018, has produced numerous podcasts and audio books featuring notable authors such as Michael Lewis and Ibram X. Kendi.
Last year, Pushkin signed a deal with A24 to create on-screen adaptations of its content. It also acquired Transmitter, a podcasting startup that produced shows for media ventures like TED Audio Collective and Vox Media.
“The position of some of the biggest players has drastically changed, causing a significant impact,” said Jacob Weisberg. “These companies were investing heavily in podcasting but have since pulled back.”
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
