Spotify CEO Daniel Ek addressed the controversy about COVID misinformation on Joe Rogan’s hugely popular podcast, admitting to his employees that even he finds some of the show hosted by the streaming service “very offensive.”
“There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” Ek confessed during an employee town hall, according to a transcript of the meeting shared by The Verge on Thursday.
But “if you 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. “Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly, and even makes us angry or sad.”
Spotify’s slow response to complaints about Rogan’s show promoting misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines prompted multiple high-profile artists ― including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and India Arie ― to pull their music from the platform.
Spotify responded to the growing backlash by saying it would add content advisories to Rogan’s episodes referencing the pandemic.
Ek, in his comments to staff, said Spotify didn’t have creative control over “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. Still, it reviewed finished episodes and removed some that failed to meet its standards.
But the signing of Rogan in a $100 million exclusive deal was critical to the company’s success, he added. “To be frank, had we not made some of the choices we did, I am confident that our business wouldn’t be where it is today.”