Audible’s Bennett Chiles on Left Turns, Testing Ideas, and Epic Gatherings

Strategist. Habitat for Humanity roofer. Professor. And now Head of Economics at Audible. Bennett Chiles has followed her passion throughout her career, and now she’s helping us make storytelling a part people’s lives. Her team’s work is vital to helping us design and vet new offerings, optimize pricing, and structure incentives in ways that make sense for customers and creators alike. “A lot of what we do comes down to understanding trade-offs and using experiments to test ideas before rolling them out,” she explains. Her team often uses behavioral models and tools to predict how an offering or feature will perform, so we can make the smartest decisions on behalf of our customers and creators.

Thanks to her team, we’ve been able to offer customers a variety of ways to listen, whether that’s our Standard membership, or Premium, or “a la carte” purchasing outside of those plans, all while ensuring they get the best value. Learn more about her journey to working at the crossroads of tech and entertainment, and why her dream dinner party might be the absolute best.

What was your background before joining Audible, and how has your career evolved since?

Coming to Audible was a big change from being a professor! But I have not regretted it for a moment. My first role here was on a content insights team. I later moved to the economics team, and then took over team leadership last year.

Audible has changed a lot during my time here. When I first joined, in 2020, everyone was fully remote because of Covid-19, and as we’ve returned to office, it’s been great to get to know my colleagues better by spending more time together in person. The business is also moving fast, and we have more advanced decision-making tools at our disposal than ever. I’m very excited to see how we continue to evolve going forward.

What are some left turns you took on your career journey?

I have taken many. My first job out of college was as a strategy consultant. I hit burnout there after a couple of years and felt a strong calling to do something more service-oriented. So I spent a year with the AmeriCorps program, working with Habitat for Humanity to do critical home repair. I led construction crews of volunteers in Charlotte, North Carolina. My specialty was roofing. I have scraped and reshingled more roofs than I can count!

What drew you to Audible?

I knew that I wanted to work at a company where I liked and believed in the product. I genuinely believe that Audible’s product, which gets books into more people’s hands, and on more occasions, is good for the world.

What’s the most exciting thing about leading at Audible right now?

This is a really exciting time in the audiobook space. Things are changing very fast, with new technologies and new trends reshaping the industry. This means that my team and I get to work on really interesting challenges, and that I often get to put on my “strategy professor” hat as we think through how to position Audible for success over the long term.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Never getting tired or needing to sleep. Or maybe being able to read people’s minds. Or teleport instantly to anywhere in the world (no more daily commute, or airport waits). It’s hard to choose!

Who would you invite to your dinner party of your dreams?

I love to cook and host, and for me, a dinner party should be fun, loose and engrossing — no small talk. I am deeply interested in American history, politics, religion and culture, and the first people who come to mind are people who I know would ask amazing, provocative questions on this theme: Ezra Klein and Jon Stewart. I’ve been following these two for decades and always appreciate their sharp takes on complex subjects. Jon would also make sure that the overall dynamic at the table stayed light and fun.

Alexander Hamilton has fascinated me since I first saw the Broadway show (and also seems like he would be a pretty fun guy). Maybe Lin-Manuel Miranda, so he could talk to the real Hamilton! Julia Child would be wonderful and warm, and could also give me tips in the kitchen. And I’ve got to have Taylor Swift on the list. I think she could hold her own with anyone from history, and my daughters would forever think I was the coolest person in the world to have had her at my table. She could bring her famous sourdough.

• Lightning Round

• Coffee or tea? Coffee.
• Morning person or night owl? Night owl by nature, but with young kids I often find that I have to be both!
• Where are you working from currently? I split my time between New York City and Newark, New Jersey.
• How long have you been with Audible? Nearly six years.
• Who is your biggest inspiration, career-wise? My mother — not just in her career, but in the way she has lived her life.
• Dine in or take out? Both.
• Favorite hobby? Cooking! I make a mean fried chicken.
• Favorite Audible listen, go. Project Hail Mary, by a long shot. I could not stop listening.