Spotify CEO apologizes while backing Rogan

Daniel Ek said that Joe Rogan decided to remove some podcast episodes. He added that his previous comments do not represent the values of this company.

Daniel Ek, the Spotify CEO, decided to send a letter to company employees on Sunday apologizing for the debate surrounding Joe Rogan. Besides, he backed the podcaster, saying he did not believe that muting Joe was the answer.

Over the weekend, Spotify took down about 70 episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” On Saturday, Rogan publicly apologized for using the N-word in past podcasts.

Rogan case and the CEO note

In a letter to Spotify employees, Ek said Rogan’s comments made in past podcasts do not express the values of this company.

From the beginning, Ek wrote that the company talked to Rogan about some of the content in his show. It includes his history of using some racially insensitive language. After these discussions and his reflections, Ek said that he decided to remove several episodes from Spotify. Besides, he also apologized over the weekend. This apology adds another turn to an increasingly winding saga in which Ek and the company strived to protect their popular podcaster.

Ek said in a note that he decided to remove the episodes and agreed with the action. He wrote that he does not believe that silencing Joe is the solution besides all the clearance. Ek also said they should act, but canceling voices is wrong. He explained that critical thinking and open debate powers actual and necessary progress.

In 2020, Spotify signed Rogan to a multi-year contract worth more than $100 million. The company made a significant move to move beyond music and into its content, competing with other services from Apple and Amazon. Rogan’s show regularly features a broad range of topics, including sports, politics, and entertainment.

Spotify maintained that it does not act as the publisher of Rogan’s podcast.