Steven Bartlett's 'The Diary of a CEO' loses four key staffers amid US expansion

Steven Bartlett, the star business podcaster, has lost four long-serving core employees in the past five months as he grows his show and expands his media empire beyond the UK.

The departing staffers had helped "The Diary of a CEO" become the No. 1 business podcast on Spotify in the United States.

Departing Staff

• Jack Sylvester – Describes himself as the "cofounder" of Bartlett's podcast. He helped establish its presence on YouTube, where the show now has more than 18 million subscribers.
• Jem Erith – Executive producer of the show.
• Anthony Smith – Director of trailers.
• Grace Miller – Head of failure and experimentation.

Company Response

A spokesperson for FlightStory, Bartlett's company, said the departures were planned over nearly a year, with Bartlett's support. She noted that the individuals had joined relatively early in their careers, advanced to senior roles, and left on good terms.

"We see their next steps as a positive reflection of the culture," she said.

Departures Framed as Voluntary

All four departing staffers posted on social media that it was their decision to leave and said they did not have a specific plan for what comes next. They also expressed gratitude for their time at FlightStory and praised Bartlett.

"I owe Steve more than I could ever put into words," Sylvester wrote on LinkedIn, later adding that he didn't "know what's next" but was "more fired up than ever."

Sylvester told Business Insider he was searching for the next step in his career after the show moved out of its initial growth phase.

Bartlett wrote on LinkedIn that "nobody" had a "bigger impact" on the podcast than Sylvester.

Reactions from Former Colleagues

The staff departures surprised some close to Bartlett's company. One former FlightStory employee described Sylvester and Erith as part of the "inner circle" responsible for the "heavy lifting" of the podcast.

"They're the reason it gets delivered twice a week," another former employee said of the four, referencing the podcast's twice-weekly schedule.

Turnover is common at startups. At Social Chain, a social media marketing firm Bartlett started before "The Diary of a CEO," a number of alumni went on to start their own ventures.

'DOAC' Expands Beyond UK Roots

The exits come as the nine-year-old show expands beyond its UK roots and as Bartlett builds a media company around it.

Bartlett, who began by interviewing business tycoons like Richard Branson and Brian Chesky, has moved into more emotional territory with guests such as addiction expert Dr. Alok Kanojia and YouTuber MrBeast. He regularly receives millions of views for his hour-plus interviews.

He has become a leadership guru in his own right, known for obsessing over details—such as the carbon monoxide level in the recording studio—and for assessing candidates through a questionnaire called the "Culture Test" to gauge their reactions to workplace scenarios.

The show's center of gravity has also shifted to the US. Bartlett recently moved to Los Angeles and opened a production studio there. He has been gaining on Joe Rogan in YouTube subscribers, and his show regularly tops Rogan's in views.

Growing Business Ventures

Bartlett has been increasingly busy with other ventures. He recently raised an eight-figure investment round to expand the company, which has approximately 150 employees and generated around $47 million in revenue last year.

He has added other creators to his network and applied his own playbook to their businesses, including extensive pre-show research and using social clipping to grow their footprints. His company now has a speakers division called FlightSpeakers and a unit that helps other creators distribute content on social media. FlightStory is also exploring a paid membership program to leverage its passionate audience.