05-08-2025
Amazon Restructures Wondery Studio, Lays Off 110 Employees
Amazon is making major changes to its Wondery podcast studio just four years after acquiring it in a $300 million deal. As first reported by Bloomberg, the tech giant is cutting around 110 jobs and bidding farewell to Wondery CEO Jen Sargent.
In a statement to a famous publication, Amazon spokesperson Alice Zhou confirmed that Wondery will continue creating podcasts, but its narrative content division—known for hits like Dr. Death, American Scandal, and Business Wars—will be merged into Amazon's Audible team.
Meanwhile, Wondery's celebrity-hosted shows such as New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce, Mind the Game with LeBron James, and Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert will shift to a newly formed 'creator services' division. This team will reportedly focus on securing major sponsorship deals. While some programs will retain the Wondery brand, the Wondery Plus app will remain active despite the restructuring.
'The podcast landscape has evolved significantly in the past few years, particularly with the rise of video-forward, creator-led content,' Zhou said. 'These changes reflect that evolution and will streamline how Wondery integrates further into Amazon.' She added that 'many' of the affected Wondery employees have transitioned into other Amazon roles.
This overhaul reflects broader industry trends. Podcasting has increasingly shifted toward video content, with YouTube emerging as the most popular platform. Wondery had already laid off a small number of employees earlier this year, and major shows like SmartLess and Morbid have since moved to SiriusXM.
