Before we get started: all the cool kids are filling out the Equity listener survey. We want to hear from you! 

On today's episode, Alex had Eric Silver, Head of Creative at the podcast collective Multitude on the show to help us sort through:

• What the hell happened with Spotify's big podcast push, and its resulting layoffs.
• Why tech platforms have not yet found a way to make creative work lucrative enough to engender a new 'creator middle class.'
• The state of the ad market, and its impacts on creative work more generally.

Towards the end we had a moment to comment on AI, but we kept that somewhat far from our central theme.

Long-time Equity listeners will recall that we've covered the creator economy a few times on the show and the blog, including:

• Yeah, funding for creator-focused startups is drying up [blog]
• F*ck creator funds, we need a creator index fund [Equity]
• Not every creator economy startup is built for creators [blog]

And if you need even more, this investor survey from 2021 on all things creator-economy is a great look-back in time!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.