Steven Bartlett Rejects $100M Offer for Diary of a CEO, Embraces AI Experiments
Entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett has turned down a $100 million offer for his podcast, Diary of a CEO. Bartlett, who built the show into a global phenomenon, chose to maintain control and continue experimenting independently.
Bartlett's approach to success is unconventional. He embraces failure as a competitive advantage, a strategy that has propelled Diary of a CEO to become one of the world's biggest podcasts. Bartlett, a British-Nigerian entrepreneur, has a dedicated 'failure team' led by a head of failure. Their goal is not to achieve success, but to increase the rate of experimentation.
The team has been exploring innovative methods, including ai checker podcast episodes. Remarkably, these episodes have been retaining listeners at the same rate as human-hosted shows. Bartlett's other ventures include founding Thirdweb and Flight Story, and serving as a non-executive director at companies like Huel and Catena Capital.
Bartlett's decision to decline a $100 million offer demonstrates his commitment to maintaining control and continuing his innovative approach. His unique strategy of embracing failure and experimenting with ai detector content is paying off, with listeners unable to distinguish between AI and human-hosted episodes.
