Steven Bartlett’s “Diary of a CEO” Podcast Just Hit a $425M Valuation & the Creator Economy Is Watching

What started as a mic, a flat in London, and a curiosity about people has officially turned into one of the most powerful creator-led media businesses in the world. Black British podcaster and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett has turned The Diary of a CEO from a passion project into a franchise, now valued at $425 million, proving that creators are no longer just part of the media landscape, Forbes reports. They are building the future of it.

“We’re watching, in slow motion but also very quickly, the unbundling of institutions,” Bartlett told the audience at the Forbes Creator Upfronts recently. “When media attention shifts from, say, the old institutions of the past, to people just like you in your bedrooms with microphones, everything changes.”

That shift is exactly what The Diary of a CEO represents. Launched in 2017, the podcast has grown into a global phenomenon, with more than a billion streams and four hour-long episodes that regularly top charts worldwide. From deep conversations about life inside the CIA to explorations of health, psychology, and purpose, the show has become appointment listening. It currently sits at No. 2 on the U.S. business podcast charts and continues to expand its reach.

Bartlett’s commitment to ownership has been just as headline-grabbing as the content itself. He famously turned down $100 million deals to keep creative control, a move that has paid off. The Diary of a CEO generated $20 million in revenue in 2024 alone, and it is only one piece of a much larger ecosystem.

Recently, Bartlett announced that Steven.com closed an eight-figure investment led by Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group, valuing the company at $425 million. Even more impressive, Bartlett still owns more than 90 percent of the business. Steven.com serves as the holding company for FlightStory, the media studio behind The Diary of a CEO and other shows, FlightCast, a podcast production and technology platform, and FlightFund, the company’s investment arm.

The valuation reflects a bigger shift happening across culture and capital. “It’s why we’re seeing every creator is becoming a VC,” Bartlett said. “Especially in a world with AI, where the cost of producing software or content drops, the game actually becomes who’s got distribution? Who’s got an audience, who can acquire customers?”

With that distribution firmly in hand, Bartlett has his sights set on building what he calls the Disney of the creator economy. “I think creators come in all shapes and sizes, and all mediums and platforms, so we’re super agnostic to that,” he said. At FlightStory, that vision already includes newsletters, short-form and long-form content, speaking engagements, live events, book publishing, and products. Bartlett recently wrapped an Asia tour, showing how global the brand has already become.

Technology, especially AI, is accelerating that growth even further. “The biggest opportunity at the moment as a content creator is translations,” Bartlett said. “Now in a world of AI, you don’t need to hire a human dubbing team in South America or Spain to translate your content into Spanish.” With only 10 percent of the world fluent in English, the opportunity to reach the other 90 percent is massive.

Bartlett and his team are also experimenting with animation and kid-friendly formats, including turning long podcast episodes into animated series designed for YouTube Kids. It is a clear signal that this is not just a podcast company, but a modern media engine built to travel across platforms, languages, and generations.

When asked what creators will need to survive and thrive next, Bartlett kept it real. “It doesn’t matter what I’m doing now in terms of tactics. It matters that you have a system or principle that will allow you to find the right answer in six months when what I say now has expired,” he said. “The answer is, I don’t know, but my team is running so many tangential experiments that we’re about to find out. We’re going to continue to stay ahead of the curve.”

For those watching the creator economy evolve in real time, Bartlett’s journey is a reminder that ownership, curiosity, and long-term vision still matter. A podcast recorded in a bedroom has become a $425 million media empire, and it is only getting started.

Cover photo: Steven Bartlett’s “Diary of a CEO” Podcast Just Hit a $425M Valuation & the Creator Economy Is Watching/Photo credit: Steven Bartlett/Deadline