Spotify Bets Its Podcast Future on Video, AI and Memberships (ft. Roman Wasenmüller)

Fresh off Spotify's Investor Day, Zaid talks with Roman Wasenmüller, Spotify's Global Head of Podcasts, about how a music company became a podcasting powerhouse. Wasenmüller traces it back to early consumer signals in Germany in 2015–16, the acquisition spree (Anchor, Megaphone, Gimlet, Parcast, The Ringer), and the exclusivity era that put Spotify on the map. Then he looks ahead: video podcasting as a discovery engine, distributing full Ringer episodes on both Spotify and Netflix, AI "personal podcasts" made just for you, verification for human-made shows, and a monetization mix spanning ads, Premium video payouts, and memberships.