In a 15-minute speech at a company town hall on Wednesday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended the company’s decision to continue airing Joe Rogan’s …
In a 15-minute speech at a company town hall on Wednesday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended the company’s decision to continue airing Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast, according to a leaked audio recording obtained by The Verge. « If we want even a shot at achieving our bold ambitions, it will mean having content on Spotify that many of us may not be proud to be associated with, » Ek said, according to The Verge. « Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad. » The podcast has come under scrutiny for promoting COVID-19 misinformation, which has led the artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to remove their music from the streamer in protest. Spotify did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. The CEO said Spotify’s $100 million exclusivity deal with Rogan — whose show is the top podcast in the US — has allowed the streamer to differentiate itself from competitors.
