Spotify latest tech name to cut jobs, axes 6% of workforce
LONDON — (AP) — Music streaming service Spotify said Monday it's cutting 6% of its global workforce, becoming yet another tech company resorting to layoffs as the post-pandemic economic outlook weakens. As part of the revamp involving a management reshuffle, “and to bring our costs more in line, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our number of employees,” Ek wrote. Spotify had benefited from pandemic lockdowns because more people had sought out entertainment when they stayed home. He said that's why the company is cutting its global workforce by about 6%, without giving a specific number of job losses. Spotify reported in its latest annual report that it had about 6,600 employees, which implies that 400 jobs are being axed.
wftv.comJoe Rogan dispute shows Spotify limits of being hands off
Young isn't satisfied with urging his fellow musicians to join him in taking their music off the streaming service Spotify. In a message on his website Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, Young said company CEO Daniel Ek is a bigger problem than popular podcaster Joe Rogan. Besides, Ek said in a letter to employees late Sunday, Spotify is not the publisher of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”“But perception due to our exclusive license implies otherwise,” Ek said. Facebook last summer announced a $1 billion fund for creators, wading further into “media company” territory even as it tries to shed that moniker. “If Spotify ends up having to backtrack on Joe Rogan there’s a risk it’ll be seen as backtracking on podcasts,” said Mark Mulligan, managing director of Midia Research.
wftv.comRogan dispute draws Spotify into content liability debate
In a message on his website Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, Young said company CEO Daniel Ek is a bigger problem than popular podcaster Joe Rogan. Besides, Ek said in a letter to employees late Sunday, Spotify is not the publisher of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”“But perception due to our exclusive license implies otherwise,” Ek said. When companies start paying content creators, as Spotify does with Rogan and as other platforms do with other high-profile influencers, that can change the game. Facebook last summer announced a $1 billion fund for creators, wading further into “media company” territory even as it tries to shed that moniker. “If Spotify ends up having to backtrack on Joe Rogan there’s a risk it’ll be seen as backtracking on podcasts,” said Mark Mulligan, managing director of Midia Research.
wftv.comNeil Young tells Spotify workers to 'get out of that place'
Music-Spotify FILE - Neil Young poses for a portrait at Lost Planet Editorial in Santa Monica, Calif. on Sept. 9, 2019. Young isn't satisfied with urging his fellow musicians to join him in taking their music off the streaming service Spotify. Now he wants company employees to quit their jobs before it “eats up your soul." In a message on his website Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, Young said company CEO Daniel Ek is a bigger problem than popular podcaster Joe Rogan. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP, File) (Rebecca Cabage)NEW YORK — (AP) — Not satisfied with urging fellow musicians to leave Spotify, Neil Young wants the company's employees to jump ship, too.
wftv.comYoung to Spotify employees: Get out before it eats your soul
NEW YORK — (AP) — Not satisfied with urging fellow musicians to leave Spotify, Neil Young wants the company's employees to jump ship, too. In a message posted on his website Monday, Young said to Spotify employees that company CEO Daniel Ek is a bigger problem than Joe Rogan, who has stirred outcry over vaccine skepticism and his past use of racial slurs on his podcast. “Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. There was no immediate comment from Spotify on Tuesday about Young's latest message. In a message to employees Sunday, Ek called Rogan’s racist language “incredibly hurtful” but said “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comSpotify CEO says canceling Joe Rogan isn't 'the answer'
Music Spotify FILE - Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek poses for a photo in Stockholm, Sweden on June 18, 2009. Ek's message came a day after Rogan apologized for using racist slurs on his podcast and removed several episodes from Spotify. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said in a message to employees Sunday that Rogan's racist language was “incredibly hurtful" and that the host was behind the removal of dozens of episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience." “There’s some real self-examination to be doing beyond Joe,” Wihbey said Sunday. “I think that if Joe Rogan kind of learns from this experience and becomes a driving voice for that conversation, that could be really valuable,” she said.
wftv.comEye Opener: Tens of thousands still without power following deadly winter storm in the Northeast
Tens of thousands of people are still without power in the bitter cold following a deadly winter storm that buried the Northeast. Also, the United Nations Security Council meets Monday as Ukrainians prepare to fight a possible Russian invasion. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener.
news.yahoo.comSpotify adding content advisory warnings to podcasts that discuss COVID-19
Updated platform rules: Spotify said it will now have content advisory labels for podcasts that discuss COVID-19. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)Spotify announced Sunday that it will be adding a “content advisory” warning to any podcasts that feature discussions about COVID-19. The move comes after musicians Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren pulled their music from Spotify over the platform’s decision to continue episodes from controversial podcaster Joe Rogan. “You’ve had a lot of questions over the last few days about our platform policies and the lines we have drawn between what is acceptable and what is not,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote. “We have had rules in place for many years but admittedly, we haven’t been transparent around the policies that guide our content more broadly.
wftv.comSpotify CEO backs Tesla rival after pledging to invest over $1 billion in European ‘moonshots’
LONDON — Daniel Ek, the founder and chief executive of Spotify, has invested in Swedish battery firm Northvolt, which is building a Gigafactory in Sweden's Lapland region. Current Northvolt shareholders Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, IMAS Foundation, Scania and Volkswagen have also participated in the funding round. The investment in the Tesla rival comes less than a week after Ek pledged to invest 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) of his own wealth into "moonshot" bets in Europe. According to Forbes, Ek is worth $3.7 billion, indicating he's allocating roughly a third of his own wealth to fund European tech. "I want to do my part; we all know that one of the greatest challenges is access to capital," Ek said, adding he wanted to achieve a "new European dream."
cnbc.comSpotify CEO to invest over $1 billion of his own wealth for 'moonshot' bets in Europe
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Toru Yamanaka | AFP/Getty ImagesLONDON — Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced Thursday that he will commit 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) of his own resources to invest in European start-ups. Among the sectors Ek is looking to invest in are health, education, machine learning and biotechnology. According to Forbes, Ek is worth $3.6 billion, indicating he's earmarking roughly a third of his own wealth for the investments. One of the most notable examples of European entrepreneurs heading to the U.S. is payments giant Stripe, whose Irish founders went to California to build their company. Europe is often seen as lagging the U.S. and China with respect to technology.
cnbc.comJoe Rogan's podcast moves exclusively to Spotify, stock soars
Shares of Spotify popped more than 10% on Tuesday before closing up 8.4% after comedian Joe Rogan announced his podcast is moving exclusively to the streaming platform. Rogan's show, The Joe Rogan Experience, launched more than a decade ago and has built a massive and loyal following. It's the same podcast where Tesla CEO Elon Musk infamously smoked marijuana in 2018, causing concern for investors. Spotify has spent the last year strengthening its podcast streaming library. The company said in early February it was acquiring the sports and entertainment news company The Ringer.
cnbc.comSpotify makes another podcast acquisition, buying Bill Simmons' The Ringer
Spotify is expanding its podcast catalog and media footprint with a new acquisition of the sports and entertainment news company The Ringer, the company announced Wednesday. Last February, Spotify announced its plans to acquire the privately held podcast producers Gimlet Media and Anchor. In March, Spotify announced its acquisition plans for podcast company Parcast. The Ringer, founded by sports writer Bill Simmons in 2016, has more than 30 podcasts in its network, including "The Bill Simmons Podcast," "The Rewatchables" and "The Ryen Russilio Podcast." Spotify said in a press release its hopes The Ringer deal will help it become "the world's leading audio platform."
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