Joe Rogan, the notoriously polarizing host of “The Joe Rogan Expertise,” America’s hottest podcast in 2020, is upsetting some Spotify staffers, in response to a report. Worker complaints, nevertheless, fall on the deaf ears of firm executives who paid the 53-year-old comic greater than $100 million to solely stream on the platform.
“I’m personally bothered by his transphobic feedback and am involved with the way in which he would possibly unfold misinformation,” one Spotify worker wrote final fall on an inner networking channel on the app Fishbowl, Insider reported Tuesday.
A former worker advised the publication that, throughout his time at Spotify, the choice to signal a cope with Rogan was probably the most contentious one the corporate made.
Nonetheless, one other worker advised Insider that it’s solely “a loud minority of people who find themselves outraged” at Rogan.
Whereas solely a subgroup of employees could also be upset, their numbers had been enough to advantage a city corridor assembly in September to deal with that they felt Rogan’s present was at occasions anti-transgender, the Wall Road Journal reported in October. A request by some staffers for “The Joe Rogan Expertise” to obtain editorial supervision was denied by the corporate and Rogan subsequently retweeted a video mocking the staff for being oversensitive.
“He’s the most important voice by far that’s going to speed up our enterprise,” an worker advised the WSJ on the time. “Getting him on Spotify — and shortly solely — goes to assist deliver much more audiences onto the platform, and hopefully we will unfold that to different programming.”
“Within the case of Joe Rogan, a complete of 10 conferences have been held with numerous teams and people to listen to their respective issues,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek mentioned in a September assembly, Vice reported on the time. “And a few of them need Rogan eliminated due to issues he’s mentioned prior to now.”
Along with firm staffers, Rogan infuriated fellow Spotify podcast stars, together with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, after telling 21-year-olds to not get the COVID-19 vaccine, a declare on which he subsequently backpedaled.
Spotify didn’t instantly return The Put up’s request for remark.
