Advertising. It sucks, but it also feeds my children. Do I have a vast arsenal of ad blockers installed on my browser? Of course. Should Gizmodo readers make use of such an arsenal? Absolutely not, and I’m shocked you even asked. You should view, and indeed click the ads you see around this article, and purchase the exciting and valuable products and services you see advertised. It’s the same deal with a very cool new Spotify feature: the Skip Ahead button for podcasts, which materialized recently for select Spotify users during podcast ad breaks. A single press of the button during an ad brings you right to the bumper music or sound effect that signals the end of a break. You don’t even have to jump too far ahead and then jump back a little bit and hear the part of the ad where they tell you an offer code for the third time. It’s amazing! But, uh, not so amazing for the business side of podcasting. In fact, podcast business leaders are downright apoplectic. Look at the reaction of Tommy Vietor, co-founder of the political podcast mini-empire Crooked Media.
Very cool of @Spotify to try and destroy the podcast industry. What a great partner! pic.twitter.com/CDBHMI1izh — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) August 5, 2026 “Very cool of @Spotify to try and destroy the podcast industry. What a great partner!” Vietor wrote on X.
