Steven Bartlett’s ‘Diary of a CEO’ Loses Key Team Members
Steven Bartlett has lost four core staffers from “The Diary of a CEO” in five months, including a self-described co-founder, just as the show expands into the US and he builds a media company around it.
July 30, 2026 – 4:56 pm
Steven Bartlett built his podcast empire on the premise that the right people, obsessively managed, make the machine. Now, four of those key individuals have departed, as reported by Business Insider.
The exits include Jack Sylvester, who considered himself a co-founder of the show and contributed significantly to its YouTube growth to 18 million subscribers; executive producer Jem Erith; trailers director Anthony Smith; and Grace Miller, head of failure and experimentation. These four were described by former colleagues as the "inner circle" responsible for much of the podcast’s success.
All parties framed the departures amicably, stating they were planned over a year and conducted on good terms. Despite this, the timing raises questions given the show’s expansion into the US and Bartlett’s efforts to build a media company around it.
Bartlett, known for his intense focus on details and employee screening through a "Culture Test," is also facing scrutiny following a BBC World Service investigation that found some of the podcast’s health episodes made questionable claims contradicting scientific evidence.