The Onion

That's a weird take, that podcasts are the issue and not monopolies, big tech, lack of privacy regulation, etc.

Podcasts are one of the few interoperable, democratic things left out there. Anybody can put one up, they use an open technology, RSS, for distribution, they're not monetized by default, etc.

The real issue is that the Internet has an advertising duopoly made from two companies that harvest vast amounts of personal data. They promote controversial stuff like Joe Rogan because it keeps people engaged (read "angry") and engaged people spend more time on their various sites which means more ad dollars flow in.

Spotify, which has a cozy relationship with the music industry cartel, signed Rogan to an enormous deal. So, again, not really podcasting that's the issue here, it's the music/entertainment cartel using him as a means of driving engagement with their platform.