Audible

Audible produces and distributes audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals through consumer memberships and individual title purchases. Its Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) connects authors, agents and publishers with narrators, engineers, studios and producers to create audiobooks. Whispersync for Voice and Immersion Reading, introduced in 2012, let readers switch between text and audio without losing their place, or listen while following synchronized, highlighted text.

Founded by Don Katz in 1995, Audible developed downloadable spoken audio for listening on the go, releasing its portable digital MobilePlayer and launching Audible.com in 1997. Bob Carrigan is its current CEO. Its AI-assisted production initiative, launched in 2025 through selected publishing partnerships, aims to bring more books into audio and additional languages. The announced approach combines managed and self-service production with multilingual AI voices. Translation pathways include translating manuscripts before professional or AI narration, and translating speech while preserving the narrator’s voice and style; publishers can edit translations and opt for professional linguistic review.

Amazon completed its acquisition of Audible in 2008, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Audible reported nearly 6 billion listening hours in 2025. Beyond consumer listening, Audible for Business launched in 2026 with an initial U.S. rollout, enabling organizations to distribute audiobooks for employee learning, gifting and events through bulk redemption-code purchases powered by Amazon Business.