For me, the main reason not to use Spotify for podcasts is that their goal is transparently to turn a (still somewhat) open ecosystem into a walled garden under

For me, the main reason not to use Spotify for podcasts is that their goal is transparently to turn a (still somewhat) open ecosystem into a walled garden under their control. If this had succeeded, and they'd taken the market from Apple, anybody could predict there would have been a heel turn where Spotify locked down podcast distribution and charged more money for it. As a start. It felt from the beginning like they were saying "well, we're enough of a force in the music industry that artists, labels, and fans have to just accept the new terms we've set. I'm betting we're big enough to do that to podcasting, too. Let's find out!"