Playboy (PLBY): Cultural Icon, Back to Its Licensing Roots

In this Business Breakdown, David Barbato and “uzocapital” sit down with Playboy’s (PLBY) CEO Ben Kohn. This discussion took place live on July 8th, 2026, on the MicroCapClub Community. Join MicroCapClub and unlock the ability to listen and participate live in these discussions.

Ben Kohn is CEO of Playboy, Inc. (PLBY), a role he's held since 2018 after two decades in private equity, including as a managing partner at Rizvi Traverse, the firm that took Playboy private in 2011.

In this conversation, Kohn breaks down Playboy's shift to an asset-light licensing model and the economics behind its two largest deals: the partnership with Byborg Enterprises, which turned a $2 million adult-content business into $20 million a year in guaranteed royalties, and the agreement with UTG to sell up to 50% of Playboy's China IP for $122 million over eight years. He details the company's debt paydown from $220 million to $108 million, the new paid-voting Playmate franchise and subscription business, plans for a Playboy Club in Miami Beach, and the future of Honey Birdette within the portfolio. Kohn also discusses lessons from Playboy's SPAC-era overexpansion and how that's shaped the company's current strategy.

You can listen/watch this business breakdowns on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube below:

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