In his defense, the stand-up comedian accurately noted that he’s hosted health experts with traditional medical opinions, such as CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, and that some tech companies have censored COVID-19 content that later became more mainstream. Rogan, for his part, posted a 10-minute video on Instagram that was, in true Rogan fashion, simultaneously good-natured, defiant, apologetic, well-reasoned, and misguided. “In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.” “We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users,” Ek wrote in an open letter. Spotify chose to publish the company’s content rules and direct listeners to “data-driven facts and up-to-date information” about COVID-19 before the start of content that addresses the pandemic.

Rather than banning more content or cutting ties with Rogan, who has hosted two COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and peddled incomplete information about vaccine safety, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek unveiled significantly smaller measures to fend off critics.

Faced with a barrage of criticism from medical officials and boycott threats from several prominent musicians, Spotify and Rogan stole a page from the Facebook crisis PR playoff this weekend, unveiling a series of half-measures designed to quell the controversy without tipping over their cash cow.

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