Spotify Said to Slow Down Hiring by 25 Percent as Global Economy Continues to Be Uncertain

Spotify Technology SA Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek informed the staff via email on Wednesday that the audio streaming company would reduce its hiring by 25 percent, according to a source familiar with the contents of the email.

Ek said Spotify would continue hiring, though it would slow the pace "and be a bit more prudent" of over the next few quarters.

Spotify Chief Financial Officer Paul Vogel said the company was watching the uncertainty in the global economy during an investor conference earlier this month. Although it had yet to see a material impact on business, he said, “We are keeping a close eye on the situation and evaluating our headcount growth in the near term.”

The audio streaming platform on Monday announced it has formed a Safety Advisory Council to provide third-party input on issues such as hate speech, disinformation, extremism and online abuse.

The group represents another step in Spotify's efforts to deal with harmful content on its audio streaming service after backlash earlier this year over The Joe Rogan Experience, in which the podcaster was accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The 18 experts, which include representatives from US civil rights group the Center for Democracy & Technology, the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and the Institute for Technology and Society in Brazil, will advise Spotify as it develops products and policies and thinks about emerging issues.

“The idea is to bring in these world-renowned experts, many of whom have been in this space for a number of years, to realise a relationship with them,” said Dustee Jenkins, Spotify's global head of public affairs. “And to ensure that it's not talking to them when we're in the middle of a situation … Instead, we're meeting with them on a pretty regular basis, so that we can be much more proactive about how we're thinking about these issues across the company.”

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