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Amid the video podcast boom, Netflix is making its own move into the space. According to Business Insider, the streaming giants co-CEO Ted Sarandos said video podcasts may be the next format to land on the platform. During Netflixs first-quarter earnings call Thursday, Sarandos noted that “the lines are getting blurry” between podcasts and talk shows, adding, “as the popularity of video podcasts grows, I suspect you’ll see some of them find their way to Netflix.” In 2025, audiences want to watch their podcasts. As a result, YouTubenot audio-first platforms like Spotify or Applehas become the top destination for American podcast listeners. Data from Edison Podcast Metrics shows YouTube attracts 31% of weekly podcast listeners, compared to Spotifys 27% and Apples 15%. Nearly half of podcast listeners now watch their favorite shows on Smart TVs, and in March, YouTube made up 9.7% of all TV viewingedging out Netflixs 8.1%. When asked about competition from YouTube, Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix remains the best place for premium content, as defined by fans. The platform already licenses content from kids favorite Ms. Rachel, as well as Tony Hinchcliffe, the conservative comedian behind the podcast Kill Tony. And Netflix is far from done. “We’re looking for the next generation of great creators, and we’re looking everywhere, not just in film schools and certainly not just in Hollywood,” Sarandos said during the call. When it comes to helping creators scale and monetize, Sarandos says Netflix stands apart. You know, the question thats out there is, is it premium? Well, some of it is, and we believe we have the best monetization model on the planet for premium storytelling, he said. I think we could help those creators reach an audience. Our model can also support more ambitious efforts for them, could help derisk them, unlike the kind of typical [user generated content] models. With Netflix becoming YouTube, Instagram turning into TikTok, and X becoming whatever X is now, no one wants to stay in their lane anymore.
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E-Commerce
Exhaustion. Mental fatigue. Difficulty concentrating. Irritability. Dreading your next calendar appointment. Nobody likes showing up to work with a hangover. But these days, you dont need a long night of drinking to feel the effects. Instead, you might be suffering from a meeting hangoverthe lingering exhaustion, disengagement, and productivity drain that follow an unproductive meeting. Studies show that 28% of workplace meetings leave employees feeling drained, with more than 90% of workers experiencing meeting hangovers at least occasionally. Nearly half (47%) report feeling less engaged with their work afterward, while more than half say these hangovers disrupt their workflow and productivity. Meetings are a double-edged sword. Despite their pitfalls, they remain the most common form of workplace communication. In fact, research suggests face-to-face meetings are more effective for idea generation and task absorption than video calls. In other words, meetings arent going anywhere. But leaders can take chargeensuring meetings are productive, efficient, and, most importantly, not hangover-inducing. Here are the strategies I use as CEO of Jotform. Set a concise agenda If youve ever walked into a grocery store for a few essentials and walked out with a cart full of snacks, you understand the power of having a clear list. The same principle applies to meetings. At Jotform, meeting agendas are indispensable. We also believe in minimizing meetings. By preparing an agenda, you can determine if a meeting is really necessary. If an asynchronous methodlike an email, Slack message, or shared documentcan achieve the same outcome faster, we opt for that instead. But when a real-time discussion is necessary, such as brainstorming solutions to an ongoing issue, a meeting is the right call. An agenda also ensures that only the necessary people are in the room. If someone isnt essential to the conversation, they can contribute asynchronouslyperhaps by answering follow-up questions afterward. As a result, we have fewer, more efficient meetings and fewer meeting hangovers. Keep the conversation on track The Big Apple Circus in New York once featured a team of Chinese jugglers who could each spin eight plates at a time on the ends of long, slender sticks. Interviewing is a similar balancing act, writes professor and journalist Helen Benedict. The same is true for leading a meeting. Youre listening, observing, processing, and asking questionsall while ensuring the discussion stays focused. Benedicts strategy for interviews is to arrive with a list of questions and stick to them religiouslyeven if it means cutting off tangents and redirecting the conversation. It may not be smooth conversational technique, she writes, but it can save me hours of listening to off-the-track waffling. Running a meeting requires the same discipline. If a discussion starts veering off course, our meeting leaders are tasked with gently steering it back. If were stuck on a point with no resolution, we note it and ask participants to revisit it later rather than letting it derail the agenda. This helps us conclude meetings on timeand sometimes early. If an hour-long meeting ends up taking 45 minutes, theres no need to fill the space with white noise. Recap with clear deliverables Finally, we never leave a meeting without a clear recap of whos responsible for what. Outlining deliverables ensures that nothing falls through the crackstasks dont get lost, and responsibilities dont blur or overlap. This is where Ive found AI agents make a huge difference. Combined with AI-powered note-taking apps, agents can generate concise summaries, highlight key takeaways tailored to each participants role, and compile a clear action-item list. This accountability creates a sense of shared leadership and boosts team effectiveness. An AI agent can also streamline follow-ups by creating a separate document with action items and deadlines, time-stamping key moments so participants can revisit discussions without replaying the entire meeting, and even drafting follow-up emailsleaving nothing more to do than review and hit send. With these tasks automated, meeting participants can stay focused on the actual substance of the meeting rather than getting bogged down in administrative details. This also cuts down the total time spent on meetings. Despite technological advancements, the time that workers spend in unproductive meetings has doubled since 2019to five hours per week. With automation and the above strategies, employees can spend less time on meetings, experience fewer hangovers, and feel energized to take on more meaningful work.
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E-Commerce
On the morning of March 20, Mathew Roberts was working at a chemical plant on the outskirts of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he was involved in an accident with a forklift. Unresponsive and in critical condition, the father of two and Iraq War veteran known for his big laugh and warm smile was taken from the Nutrien nitrogen plant to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident, along with local law enforcement, but Robertss family members said they are still waiting for answers. The workplace death is not unusual in Louisiana, which has been ranked the sixth-most-dangerous state for workers in the U.S., according to a study that used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 200 chemical plants and refineries sit along an 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, which has been dubbed Cancer Alley because of the high rates of cancer linked to petrochemicals. In recent years, there have been multiple chemical plant exposures or explosions in the state. In December, a possible explosion occurred at a Westlake Corp. chemical plant not far from the Nutrien plant. In October, four workers were sent to the hospital after being exposed to ammonia at a Formosa Plastics plant. In September, a hydrogen gas explosion at the nearby Chevron Renewable Energy Group plant injured two people. Several weeks before Robertss accident, Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency announced that it will close 11 OSHA field offices, including the one in Baton Rouge that is investigating Robertss death. It is the agencys only office in Louisiana, and its potential closure is raising concerns among workplace safety experts. The closures remain under review, per the U.S. Department of Labor, which oversees OSHA. A Department of Labor spokesperson told Capital & Main, Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors continue to conduct legally required inspections and remain focused on OSHAs core mission to prevent injury, illness, and death in the workplace and promote safe and healthy workplaces for U.S. workers. A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to Capital & Mains request for comment. Former OSHA Director David Michaels said by closing the office, those enormous oil and petrochemical facilities with significant safety and health hazards will be inspected even less frequently than they are now. By closing the office, the government will save $109,346, according to DOGE. OSHA staffers in the office will have to choose between leaving OSHA entirely or relocating to another region hundreds of miles away, Michaels said. Staffers at the Baton Rouge office said theyre not aware of any layoffs, though rumors have been swirling since the DOGE announcement in mid-March. Were still here, but I dont know for how long, said one staffer who asked not to be identified out of fear it would put their job in jeopardy. In addition to the Baton Rouge office, which conducted 386 workplace inspections over the last year and assessed more than $750,000 in penalties for serious violations, DOGE is also planning to close field offices in Houston and in Mobile, Alabama. These closures will result in more injuries, illnesses, and deaths, Michaels said. Musks efficiency mandate will end up affecting workers, said Bernard Fontaine Jr., a former OSHA compliance officer. What theyre trying to do is consolidate offices and reduce costs, Fontaine said. But the impact of the services being provided is going to be dramatically reduced so that when people call and file a complaint, it may not be addressed for a very long period of time. By then, someone could be very sick. This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.
Category:
E-Commerce
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