Spotify CEO Confirms Removal Of Joe Rogan Podcast Episodes — But Says It Wasn't The Company That Took Them Down

Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE: SPOT) CEO Daniel Ek addressed the removal of 113 podcast episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience in a staff memo.

What Happened: Ek said he spoke to Joe Rogan and his team regarding some of the content of the latter’s show including the “racially insensitive language,” The Verge reported.

The CEO said — following the chat with Rogan and his team and the content creator’s own reflections — Rogan “chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify.”

Ek said Rogan’s comments were “incredibly hurtful” and did not represent the values of Spotify. 

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Why It Matters: Rogan apologized over the weekend for using a racial slur in previous episodes of his podcast. He said the use of “N-word” was “regretful and shameful.”

On Sunday, Ek said while he “strongly condemns” Rogan's words he doesn’t believe “silencing Joe is the answer.”

Ek earlier announced updated policies on COVID-19 content in response to a separate controversy involving Rogan.

Price Action: On Friday, Spotify shares closed nearly 9% higher at $174.43 in the regular session and fell 0.65% in after-hours trading.

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Photo: Courtesy of Magnus Hoij via Wikimedia