An estimated 46 million Americans listen to podcasts each month, according to Edison Research, with shows covering topics as varied as the latest Apple rumors, how best to confront the Islamic State, and the analysis of old Seinfeld episodes.
But while independent producers and celebrities like Joe Rogan and Marc Maron have largely dominated the scene since Apple integrated podcasts into iTunes in 2005—at the time, Macworld described podcasts as “time-shifted amateur radio”—a growing number of large companies, including General Electric, IBM, and Slack, have now launched a number of podcasts of their own with names like “Wild Ducks” and “Variety Pack.”
