Why The Diary of a CEO Founder Steven Bartlett Turned Down $100 Million to Build a Podcast Empire
On a crisp March morning in East London, Steven Bartlett walks into his Shoreditch recording studio—home of The Diary of a CEO, one of the most influential podcasts on the planet. As cameras begin to roll for a high-stakes debate between economist Gary Stevenson and entrepreneur Daniel Priestly, Bartlett prepares for another viral moment. But behind the lenses and the headlines, he’s quietly redefining the future of media—on his own terms. ' Steven Bartlett. ' Sebastian Nevols for Forbes With over 10 million YouTube subscribers, 25 million social media followers, and a podcast that frequently challenges The Joe Rogan Experience in global rankings, Bartlett sits at the pinnacle of independent podcasting. And yet, in 2024, when presented with deals reportedly valued at $100 million, he said no. Why? Because Bartlett sees the traditional podcast model as outdated—and he believes that no major media network can match the growth, agility, and data-driven edge ...