Peaked #8 in world in September
SOLVED peaked at number 8 globally in podcast rankings in September 2025 with the Shame episode.
Snapshot · SOLVED with Mark Manson
Solved, Answers: Finding Purpose, Failing Better, and the AI Future
Explore episode
Dec 15, 2025
Where this was said
Welcome & 2025 Year-in-Review
At 2:30 · chapter starts 0:00
Mark kicks off the year-end episode with a warm, self-aware opener that immediately signals a departure from SOLVED's usual mega-format. He rolls out the stats that few would have predicted seven months ago: 13 million downloads across platforms, a peak at #8 in the world off the back of the Shame episode, chart placements in 13 countries, and the jaw-dropping fact that SOLVED was the most-listened show for 136,000 people on Spotify [1] — Mark Manson "13M downloads, 7 months, 8 episodes: SOLVED podcast reached over 13 million downloads across platforms in only 7 months with just 8 episode…" 01:48 . The numbers are framed not as boasts but as gratitude — a thank-you to listeners who apparently do give a shit about 13th-century philosophers and behavioural empiricism. Mark then lays out the architecture of the episode: purpose-related community questions in the first half, broader audience questions from YouTube in the second, and a look ahead at 2026 plans to close. A key teaser: don't miss the January 1st Boundaries Solved episode.
13M downloads, 7 months, 8 episodes
SOLVED podcast reached over 13 million downloads across platforms in only 7 months with just 8 episodes released.
SOLVED's Year-One Numbers Are Staggering
SOLVED is only 7 months old and has 8 episodes, yet it has cleared 13 million downloads, peaked at #8 globally, charted in 13 countries, and was the most-listened show for 136,000 Spotify users. Not bad for a podcast most people said would never work.
Most listened show for 136K Spotify users
SOLVED was the most listened-to show for 136,000 people on Spotify in 2025.
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