Spotify Technology SA Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek knowledgeable the workers by way of e mail on Wednesday that the audio streaming firm would cut back its hiring by 25 %, based on a supply conversant in the contents of the e-mail.

Ek stated Spotify would proceed hiring, although it could gradual the tempo “and be a bit more prudent” of over the following few quarters.

Spotify Chief Financial Officer Paul Vogel stated the corporate was watching the uncertainty within the international financial system throughout an investor convention earlier this month. Although it had but to see a fabric impression on enterprise, he stated, “We are keeping a close eye on the situation and evaluating our headcount growth in the near term.”

The audio streaming platform on Monday introduced it has fashioned a Safety Advisory Council to supply third-party enter on points corresponding to hate speech, disinformation, extremism and on-line abuse.

The group represents one other step in Spotify’s efforts to take care of dangerous content material on its audio streaming service after backlash earlier this 12 months over The Joe Rogan Experience, by which the podcaster was accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The 18 consultants, which embody 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 because it develops merchandise and insurance policies and thinks about rising points.

“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,” stated Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s international 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.”

© Thomson Reuters 2022