Spotify layoffs in Podcast Group claimed to be not due to cost cutting but ...
Spotify has laid off 15 employees in its podcast division. The latest round of job cuts accounts to 3% of the company’s headcount, as reported by Variety. Most of the jobs cuts came at The Ringer, which is the sports and pop culture site Spotify acquired in 2020 and at Spotify Studios. This restructuring at Spotify also lead to the cancellation of New York, New York With John Jastremski, a podcast focused on New York sports.
For those unaware, Spotify bought The Ringer, founded by former ESPN executive Bill Simmons, for about $250 million in cash in 2020. Since then, the streamer has positioned podcasts as a key growth area, though the business has undergone multiple rounds of restructuring.
Spotify job cuts: Reason behind the layoffs
According to the Variety report, the layoffs at Spotify are being described internally as part of an effort to improve executive, speed, and alignment across teams, rather than a cost-cutting measure. Spotify is also said to be continuing investments in growth areas of its podcast business, mainly in multiform content and video, signalling that the company still sees podcasts as central to its long-term strategy.
The employees impacted by the recent job cuts at Spotify also include Andrew Gruttadaro, special projects lead at The Ringer, and Miles Surrey, a staff writer who covered pop culture topics including television and film. Both shared farewell messages on X, reflecting on their years of work. Gruttadaro noted his pride in contributing to profiles and special projects over nine years, while Surrey highlighted his eight-and-a-half years at the site, during which he wrote more articles than anyone in its history.
“Well, sadly it looks like it's my turn to do one of these tweets: I was laid off by The Ringer today. It's impossible to sum up nine years in a tweet but: I worked on so many things—profiles, theme weeks, special projects—that I am incredibly proud of. I was also honored to work with some of the best writers (and people) I've ever met. I'll take some time to figure out what's next, but I'm addicted to creating stuff and I'm not going to stop any time soon. If you wanna chat, my DMs are open and my email is in my signature,” wrote Gruttadaro.
“Some news: I’ve been laid off by The Ringer. It was a rewarding eight and a half years and I’m proud to have literally written the most articles in the site’s history. I’d love to keep writing about pop culture elsewhere — drop me a line: msurrey2 at gmail,” wrote Miles Surrey on X.
Previous layoffs at Spotify
This is the latest in a series of cuts to Spotify’s podcast operations. In June 2025, the company laid off 15 employees at The Ringer and Spotify Studios, representing about 5% of the headcount at the time. Much larger cuts came in 2023, when Spotify eliminated about 200 podcast roles as part of a “strategic realignment.” Around the same period, the company also reduced its global workforce by 1,500 employees, or 17% of staff.
For those unaware, Spotify bought The Ringer, founded by former ESPN executive Bill Simmons, for about $250 million in cash in 2020. Since then, the streamer has positioned podcasts as a key growth area, though the business has undergone multiple rounds of restructuring.
Spotify job cuts: Reason behind the layoffs
According to the Variety report, the layoffs at Spotify are being described internally as part of an effort to improve executive, speed, and alignment across teams, rather than a cost-cutting measure. Spotify is also said to be continuing investments in growth areas of its podcast business, mainly in multiform content and video, signalling that the company still sees podcasts as central to its long-term strategy.
The employees impacted by the recent job cuts at Spotify also include Andrew Gruttadaro, special projects lead at The Ringer, and Miles Surrey, a staff writer who covered pop culture topics including television and film. Both shared farewell messages on X, reflecting on their years of work. Gruttadaro noted his pride in contributing to profiles and special projects over nine years, while Surrey highlighted his eight-and-a-half years at the site, during which he wrote more articles than anyone in its history.
“Well, sadly it looks like it's my turn to do one of these tweets: I was laid off by The Ringer today. It's impossible to sum up nine years in a tweet but: I worked on so many things—profiles, theme weeks, special projects—that I am incredibly proud of. I was also honored to work with some of the best writers (and people) I've ever met. I'll take some time to figure out what's next, but I'm addicted to creating stuff and I'm not going to stop any time soon. If you wanna chat, my DMs are open and my email is in my signature,” wrote Gruttadaro.
“Some news: I’ve been laid off by The Ringer. It was a rewarding eight and a half years and I’m proud to have literally written the most articles in the site’s history. I’d love to keep writing about pop culture elsewhere — drop me a line: msurrey2 at gmail,” wrote Miles Surrey on X.
Previous layoffs at Spotify
This is the latest in a series of cuts to Spotify’s podcast operations. In June 2025, the company laid off 15 employees at The Ringer and Spotify Studios, representing about 5% of the headcount at the time. Much larger cuts came in 2023, when Spotify eliminated about 200 podcast roles as part of a “strategic realignment.” Around the same period, the company also reduced its global workforce by 1,500 employees, or 17% of staff.
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