American Airlines CEO to Meet Pilots Union Amid Storm Response and Financial Concerns 
Toyota’s Surprise CEO Change Signals Strategic Shift Amid Global Auto Turmoil 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links 
Hims & Hers Halts Compounded Semaglutide Pill After FDA Warning 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Nasdaq Proposes Fast-Track Rule to Accelerate Index Inclusion for Major New Listings 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge 
Singapore Budget 2026 Set for Fiscal Prudence as Growth Remains Resilient 
Barack and Michell Obama founded Higher Ground Media, a production company, and it reportedly inked an exclusive deal with Amazon's Audible, a platform that offers audiobook and podcast services.
The Obamas' Higher Ground partnered with Audible after ending its deal with Spotify in April. The contract is a multi-year agreement and will give the latter the first dibs on Higher Ground's content, such as various audio projects that will be distributed around the world.
As per CNN Business, the financial details of Higher Ground and Audible's deal were not disclosed to the public. The exact span of the contract's effectivity was not revealed as well.
It was mentioned that the partnership was announced earlier this week after reports that the Obamas cut their partnership with Swedish audio streaming and media services provider two months ago.
The Washington Times reported the new deal officially ended the former First Couple's three-year collaboration with Spotify, which started in 2019. The Obamas already revealed months ago that they have no intention of renewing or extending their contract with Spotify due to differences in strategy.
Former President Obama explained why it chose to team up with Amazon's Audible this time by saying, "At Higher Ground, we have always sought to lift up voices that deserve to be heard — and Audible is invested in realizing that vision alongside us. I am looking forward to partnering with them to tell stories that not only entertain but also inspire."
Michelle Obama added that they are very proud of the stories that they are able to share at Higher Ground. She added, "There is no one we'd rather write our next chapter with than Audible. Together, we will keep striving to tell compelling, provocative, and soulful stories — while doing everything we can to make sure they reach the folks who need to hear them."
Meanwhile, all the original content produced by Higher Ground will not be exclusive to Audible. As part of the deal, these will instead be distributed across the globe via a number of podcast platforms.
