Max Cutler, who served as Spotify’s head of audio talk shows and partnerships, is leaving the company to launch his own venture, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg News. Cutler will depart on May 1, following the departure of Dawn Ostroff, who oversaw content and advertising at Spotify, and a reorganization of the podcast team. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that Cutler’s exit would be accompanied by a further restructuring of the business.
As the VP of talk creator content and partnerships, Cutler played a key role in overseeing the Swedish streaming service’s deals with major podcast creators such as Joe Rogan, Emma Chamberlain and Alex Cooper. Prior to joining Spotify in 2019, Cutler founded Parcast, a podcast network that Spotify acquired in 2019 and still operates.
Spotify has been cutting costs in its podcasting division, cancelling shows and reducing headcount. The company’s shares suffered a major decline in 2020, hitting their lowest level ever. While shares have rebounded by over 50% this year thanks to cost cutting and positive financial results in January, they fell by as much as 4.8% to $119.26 on Tuesday, as part of a broader stock market slump.
