> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://kevin-rose.ghost.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Apple Podcasts Was Never Built For Podcasts
- URL: https://kevin-rose.ghost.io/apple-podcasts-was-never-built-for/
- Published: 2026-06-16T15:02:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-11T22:13:08.000Z
- Author: Kevin Rose
- Tags: Podcast, #Migrated-1791755965841, #Import 2026-10-11 21:59

[Get your free month of Snipd here.](https://link.snipd.com/Cx7S/kevinrose?ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io)

I sit down with Kevin Ben Smith, founder of Snipd, for a wide-ranging conversation on why every podcast app you’ve ever used is secretly a music player - and what happens when AI finally gets to listen with you.  
  
We get into: the bicycle commute in Zurich (and the Sam Altman podcast) that started Snipd, the Amazon-reviews neural net that convinced him to bet on AI five years before ChatGPT, why Snipd has data Apple, Spotify and YouTube don’t have, why his three-person team specifically refuses to build an ad-skipping feature, why today’s podcast advertising is a “huge hack” and the YouTube-style model that should replace it, the Snipd DJ stringing 5-to-10-minute moderated supercuts across every show you’d never get to, why audiobook publishers are too paranoid to license cleanly, Kevin’s blunt verdict on ElevenLabs voices (“5 minutes and you wanna blow your brains out”), and the open API Snipd is opening for Claude, Codex, and OpenClaw - so your AI agent can finally tap into everything you’ve ever listened to.  
  
Whether you make podcasts, build with AI, or just want a smarter way to listen, this one’s for you.  
  
Chapter Markers  
[0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Introduction  
[0:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=47s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) The bike commute that became Snipd  
[5:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=343s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) The Amazon reviews moment that hinted at ChatGPT  
[11:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=690s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Why every podcast app is secretly a music player  
[12:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=758s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) The first version of Snipd (and what they got wrong)  
[15:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=922s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Meet the Snipd DJ  
[20:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=1253s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Why audiobooks are stuck on Audible  
[24:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=1449s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Why Snipd refuses to build ad-skipping  
[25:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=1522s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Podcast ads are a “huge hack.” YouTube is the future.  
[28:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=1683s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) The data Apple, Spotify and YouTube don’t have  
[31:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=1896s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) The AI model stack behind Snipd  
[36:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=2215s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Why Langchain is too complicated  
[41:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=2503s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Can ElevenLabs replace a real podcaster?  
[47:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=2873s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) “5 minutes and you wanna blow your brains out”  
[53:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=3180s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Snipd is opening an API for Claude and Codex  
[56:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fMK6l3LvY&list=PL6bwBOy2Mzf42eHT7kVH22xuqe%5FnpbJYF&index=1&t=3369s&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io) Where to find Kevin  
  
Follow Kevin Ben Smith: [https://x.com/kevinbensmith](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video%5Fdescription&redir%5Ftoken=QUFFLUhqa2Z4OEVZZW9RcFE4TDFBTzg4Q0J2TURjTzZ5QXxBQ3Jtc0tuNFVaQkZjMjZGcFkyRlJMT1Z4TlY1c00xQjJHczdKN1Znd2xPSkN3Z044VHJER0NuUkRZbmJmTnhmMVpGV3EydkVOVnRxTWJDdG5KeERsbmF2V1FYbmJVZHBRUUxwd0NqalprVDNxN1JQZ19iSjlFMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fkevinbensmith&v=84fMK6l3LvY&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io)  
Follow Kevin Rose: [https://x.com/kevinrose](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video%5Fdescription&redir%5Ftoken=QUFFLUhqbV9ja3BjMUV5bkFydDduMVZneTB2cFlMSWxEZ3xBQ3Jtc0traVpqUUVOUnQ0VVBLUVp1akVkOFhWcjRTeUxFVFk4S1Q2dTlfU0V2YmVUWUZoSTIyY2lHQVRwSzJaMVpwUWNfdGpMWUJvdU9CdHJvYm1DdXRSVGpOZlU1VjVYU0NxOG1fME5QZmEwQ2E0MWtDY3hndw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fkevinrose&v=84fMK6l3LvY&ref=kevin-rose.ghost.io)