Amazon Axes Over 100 Jobs at Wondery as Audio Division Gets a Shakeup

Wondery CEO exits as Amazon folds podcast teams into Audible in bid for tighter control and clearer strategy

Amazon is cutting over 100 jobs in its Wondery podcast unit and saying goodbye to Wondery CEO Jen Sargent, as the tech giant tries to clean up a crowded corner of its sprawling business.

The layoffs are part of a wider restructuring across Amazon’s audio group, which includes Twitch, Audible and the podcasting teams. It’s the latest example of Amazon rethinking where its dollars are going — and who’s in charge of spending them.

Audible pulls rank as Wondery loses independence

This isn’t just about cutting headcount. It’s about realigning power inside Amazon’s audio empire. In a memo to staff on Monday, Steve Boom, Amazon’s VP of audio, Twitch, and games, said Wondery will be folded more closely into Audible, the company’s bigger and older audiobook unit.

That means Audible is now calling the shots on podcasting too.

Wondery, once a buzzy startup known for narrative hits like Dirty John and Dr. Death, had operated with a fair bit of autonomy since Amazon bought it nearly five years ago. But with costs piling up and podcast ad revenue not quite meeting the hype, that freedom looks to be over.

Jen Sargent, who became CEO of Wondery in 2020 and stayed on post-acquisition, is leaving the company as part of the reshuffle. Her departure wasn’t exactly a surprise to insiders — but it’s still a moment that marks the end of an era.

Strategic move or cost-saving effort in disguise?

Amazon isn’t saying how much money this move will save, but it’s hard to ignore the pattern. The company has slashed thousands of jobs across its business over the past two years — from devices to cloud to Prime Video — often citing the need to “restructure,” “streamline,” or “realign.”

In Monday’s memo, Boom framed the decision as future-focused.

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

That’s corporate speak for: we want results, and we want them efficiently.

Still, for the 110 people who woke up to find their jobs gone — that message rings hollow.

Podcasts aren’t dying. But the business model might be

Look, people are still listening to podcasts. The market’s not shrinking. But it’s maturing — and fast.

Advertisers aren’t throwing money at audio content like they used to. The pandemic-era podcast boom is long gone, and the money isn’t flowing the way execs expected. According to a recent forecast from PwC, podcast ad revenue growth is slowing, with single-digit gains expected in 2026, down from the heady 20%+ surges of a few years ago.

And even for a company as big as Amazon, chasing listeners without solid monetization just doesn’t cut it anymore.

• Wondery has had hit shows but hasn’t cracked mass-market scale.
• Audible, by contrast, has long had a subscription model and broader content strategy.
• Consolidating the two helps Amazon cut costs — and possibly confusion.

How Wondery went from golden goose to question mark

Let’s rewind a bit.

When Amazon bought Wondery in late 2020, insiders pegged the deal at around $300 million — a big swing for a podcast studio. It was part of a trend. Spotify was busy gobbling up studios too, snapping up Anchor, Parcast, Gimlet and The Ringer.

Everyone wanted in on the podcast game.

Wondery had buzz. It had Emmy-winning shows. It even had Hollywood deals. But translating all that into consistent revenue — and keeping listeners coming back — proved harder than expected.

Here’s a quick look at Wondery’s highlights since joining Amazon:

Now, Wondery will likely be a production brand under Audible — not a standalone force.

People inside Wondery feel blindsided

Internally, morale’s taken a hit.

One former Wondery staffer, speaking anonymously, said they’d expected “some kind of shakeup” but not this. “We thought leadership changes might happen, but whole teams being let go? That’s brutal,” they said.

Another employee posted on LinkedIn: “I loved my time at Wondery. It hurts to leave this way. So much talent lost today.”

There’s no word yet on severance or transition support.

Amazon’s media bets still feel uncertain

This isn’t the first time Amazon’s trimmed its entertainment business. It laid off hundreds at Prime Video and MGM earlier this year. Twitch, which sits in the same division as audio, has also seen deep cuts.

The reality? Amazon is still figuring out what kind of media company it wants to be.

Unlike Netflix or Spotify, Amazon doesn’t need its media units to make big profits on their own. They support the broader Prime ecosystem — keeping people engaged, keeping them paying. But that doesn’t mean they’re immune to scrutiny.

When performance stalls, heads roll.