Spotify Technology SA is planning layoffs as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the plans, joining a slew of technology companies from Amazon.com Inc. to Meta Platforms Inc. in announcing job cuts to lower costs.
The number of positions to be eliminated wasn't specified by
the people. Spotify laid off 38 staff from its Gimlet Media and Parcast podcast
studios in October. The music streaming giant has about 9,800 employees,
according to its third-quarter earnings report.
Tech companies added to their headcounts during the pandemic
but were forced to make reductions in response to reduced advertising revenue
and a shaky economic outlook. Amazon.com, Meta and Microsoft Corp. were among
the biggest companies to announce staff reductions recently, while Google
parent Alphabet Inc. said Friday it will cut about 12,000 jobs, more than 6
percent of its global workforce.
A Spotify spokesperson declined to comment on the upcoming
cuts.
The company made a massive commitment to podcasting
beginning in 2019. It spent over a billion dollars on acquiring podcast
networks, creation software, a hosting service and the rights to popular shows
like The Joe Rogan Experience and Armchair Expert.
Still, the investments have tested investors' patience.
Shares tumbled 66 percent last year as investors questioned when they'd begin
seeing returns. Spotify executives said in June its podcast business would
become profitable in the next one to two years. © Bloomberg LP