As the firm dropped 11 original shows, Spotify fired at least 38 people from the Gimlet and Parcast studios, according to the unions that represent those workers.
The two unions stated in a joint statement on Friday that the layoffs affected around 30% of their membership. The Gimlet and Parcast unions argued that these are significant restructurings rather than tiny losses. According to the unions, some Spotify staff were only given an hour to finish their task. The corporation is not accused of breaking the terms of its contracts with the unions in the statement.
“Yesterday, Spotify chose to create chaos instead of treating employees with the dignity and respect they deserve. The fact that Spotify chose to handle these cuts in this way shows their disregard for both their employees and their audiences.” - Gimlet and Parcast unions
Spotify declined to comment about the show cancellations and the layoffs.
The business told the crews working on 11 episodes on Thursday that the series would be ending. According to a business source, about 5% of Spotify's whole podcast workforce was impacted, with employees either being let go or relocated.
The Gimlet and Parcast unions claim that the staff members were informed that their shows will be cancelled due to poor listenership.
The unions argued that by making the Gimlet and Parcast episodes exclusive to Spotify when the studios were bought in 2019, which, they claimed, led to some losing up to three-fourths of their listeners, "decisions Spotify leadership took directly contributed to these poor statistics." The events "languished without marketing assistance," the unions added, and "teams were not given defined audience objectives to fulfill."
The three episodes of "How to Save a Planet," "Crime Show," and "Every Little Thing" from Gimlet as well as "Medical Murders," "Female Criminals," "Crimes of Passion," "Dictators," "Mythology," "Haunted Places," "Urban Legends," and "Horoscope Today" from Parcast are being canceled. Some of the programs will still be produced for the next few weeks, while "Horoscope Today" will terminate in the second quarter of 2023.