Spotify CEO condemns Rogan over racial slurs, but won't silence him

Spotify (SPOT.N) Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek said on Sunday he "strongly" condemns racial slurs and other comments made by popular U.S. podcaster Joe Rogan but will not be removing him from the platform.

Ek's comments, sent in a letter to staff seen by Reuters, come on the heels of Rogan issuing an apology for the second time in a week, the latest for using racial slurs after a montage video surfaced showing him repeatedly using the N-word.

Ek said it was Rogan's decision to remove a number of past episodes from "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, following discussions with the music streaming platform and his own reflections on some of the content in the show, including the usage of racially insensitive language.

"While I strongly condemn what Joe has said... I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer," Ek said.