Alex Goldman, co-host of Reply All, one of the most downloaded podcasts of the 2010s, sits down with Waveform to break down how podcasting worked then versus how it works now. He built an audience without YouTube, without short-form clips, and without algorithmic discovery. Now he is starting over with Hyperfixed, and the contrast is the whole point.
The value here is not in the conclusion. It is in the specifics: how Reply All actually gained its early foothold, what metrics Goldman used to measure success before modern analytics existed, and what his honest take is on whether YouTube is a net positive or a necessary burden for audio-first creators.
If you have ever wondered whether the old playbook still works, Goldman is a direct data point that it does not, at least not cleanly. This episode is worth the full runtime for anyone building in audio right now.
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