Spotify CEO to employees: Canceling Rogan not 'the answer'
ABC News
Spotify’s CEO says in a note to employees Sunday that while he condemned podcaster Joe Rogan’s use of racist language, he does not believe that cutting ties with the popular personality was the answer
LOS ANGELES -- Joe Rogan’s mouth has put Spotify in a tough spot, but the streaming giant is apparently not ready to part ways with the popular podcast host despite intense criticism over his anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and racial slurs.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a message to employees released Sunday that the company would not part ways with Rogan.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,” Ek said in the note. “And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”
The letter is the clearest indication yet of where Spotify stands on Rogan’s fate with the company. It reportedly paid $100 million to exclusively host the podcast, so dropping Rogan threatens the bottom line but is also a key part of the company’s strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio.
