Donald R. Katz (born January 30, 1952[1]) is the founder [2] of Audible, Inc. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, Audible.com serves millions of listeners and offers over 800,000 downloadable audiobooks, Audible Originals (including Audible Theater and Audible Words + Music programming) and podcasts. Audible also commercialized the first portable digital audio player in 1997, four years before the introduction of the iPod. In 2004, Katz was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for New Jersey.[1] Audible was a publicly traded Nasdaq company until it was acquired and became a subsidiary of Amazon.com in early 2008.[3] Audible operates digital storefronts in the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Italy, Japan, Canada, India and Spain.
Quick Facts Born, Alma mater ...
Close
Named one of NJ.com's "25 Most Influential People in New Jersey" in 2016,[4] Katz has also been recognized as one of America's Top 25 Disruptive Leaders by Living Cities for his work on behalf of urban transformation in Newark.[5] Katz was the recipient of a Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award in 2013.[citation needed] In 2022, Katz was named a PEN America Business Visionary Honoree[6] and was awarded the Innovator Tribute at the Gotham Awards.
Katz also founded Newark Venture Partners (NVP), a venture fund focused on creating a high-tech innovation hub in Newark.[7] The fund is housed in Audible's headquarters and provides capital, company-building services and residence to innovative tech startups. The fund's inaugural accelerator class launched September 2016.[8]
Katz served as Audible's CEO until January 2020, after which he held the title of founder and executive chairman until 2022.[9]
Katz’s work in Newark, New Jersey, spans decades. In 2007, Don moved Audible’s global headquarters from suburban New Jersey to downtown Newark, the largest city in the state, to be part of the city’s renaissance.[12] Today, Audible is the fastest-growing private employer in the city, with more than 1,900 employees in its Newark offices and hundreds more globally.[13]
“I consider the Newark move one of the best decisions we’ve made as a company,” Don has said.[14]
Under Katz’s leadership, Audible launched the Global Center for Urban Development in September 2020.[15] The center’s goal is to expand the company’s community and economic initiatives and launch new models focused on advancing equality, racial justice, and economic empowerment. The center brings together all equitable community aspirations at Audible under a single organization, from existing community projects in Newark to new efforts around urban innovation, to improve the lives of those in the cities and countries in which Audible operates.
One of Audible’s five People Principles, written by Katz, is “Activate Caring.” It says: “We work to improve the lives of those without privilege in the cities and countries in which we operate, because Audible seeks to exemplify what a company can mean beyond what it does.”[16]
In 2019, Audible opened its Innovation Cathedral, converting a historic, 80,000 square-foot church and community center into a workspace that houses hundreds of engineers, product managers, and other workers.[17]
Under Katz, Audible's programs have included:
Newark Working Kitchens: The Audible-led COVID-19 response has activated dozens of local restaurants to cook and serve meals for low-income seniors and families and people without homes. The program has served more than 1.5 million meals.[18]
Community hiring: Audible identifies, hires and trains Newark residents without traditional resumes[clarification needed] by partnering with community organizations.[19]
Paid internships: Newark high school students work side-by-side with Audible technologists, recruiters, data scientists, and sound engineers as paid interns. Once they go to college, they receive a monthly scholarship from Audible and return to work during breaks. All of Audible’s paid high school interns have been accepted to two- or four-year colleges.[20]
Live Local: Audible provides a $500 monthly subsidy to employees living in Newark to encourage active participation in the city’s life.[21]
Katz also served as a member of the public library board in Montclair, New Jersey[22] for nine years and on the board of Uncommon Schools,[23] a nonprofit organization that manages several urban college preparatory charter schools.