The foundation of Spotify’s relationship with the artistic community has been rocked by two major ethical earthquakes in recent years. First came the controversy over podcaster Joe Rogan, and now comes the outrage over co-founder Daniel Ek’s military AI investments. While different in nature, together they have created a powerful narrative of a company whose values are dangerously out of sync with its creators.
The Rogan affair in 2022 was a crisis of content and corporate responsibility. When Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music, they were protesting Spotify’s role in amplifying what they considered harmful misinformation. This forced the company and the public to grapple with Spotify’s identity as a media publisher, not just a neutral platform. It was a debate about the social impact of the content Spotify chose to fund and promote.
The current crisis over Daniel Ek’s investment in Helsing is a crisis of capital and corporate complicity. This time, the protest is not about the content on the platform, but about where the profits generated by the platform are going. For artists like Massive Attack, the idea that their streams could be indirectly funding the development of military technology was a moral red line. This is a debate about the ethical obligations of the people at the very top of the corporate structure.
Together, these two events have created a pincer movement of ethical critique. The Rogan quake shook faith in Spotify’s editorial judgment, while the Ek quake has shattered trust in its leadership’s moral compass. They have broadened the argument against Spotify beyond just financial terms, proving to many that the problems with the company are not just about business—they are about fundamental values.