Spotify’s Fear Factor | The Wildcatter Windfall | Silicon Valley’s DA Recall Push

Plus: Retailers Quietly Deploying Controversial Technology To Combat Crime Spree

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Joe Rogan was the star signing in Spotify’s push to dominate not just music streaming, but the booming podcast industry. Rogan’s flirtation with Covid misinformation sparked calls for a boycott, leading to an apology from the former talk-radio host and attempts by the streaming giant’s founder to distance the platform from the mounting controversy. We also learn how billionaire Trevor Rees-Jones “saved the best for last” with a $2.65 billion shale oil deal. And here’s why some of Silicon Valley’s investors have embroiled themselves in the campaign for a recall election for San Francisco’s district attorney. Finally, a look inside at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and dozens of other big retailers push to upgrade security cameras with controversial facial-recognition technology.

In The News Today

Joe Rogan promised to offer more balanced perspectives in the future after the podcaster and Spotify faced widespread criticism and a burgeoning boycott for platforming Covid-19 misinformation.

North Korea on Monday confirmed it launched a ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam a day earlier, signaling the partial end of a self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. 

Top Take-Aways

Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek has taken a page from fellow tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s PR disaster manual in handling the mounting backlash to Joe Rogan, the Swedish streaming giant’s reported $100 million signing. However, the line that platforms can take a hands-off approach to moderation only dug Facebook, now Meta, into a deeper hole.

Billionaire Elon Musk moved Tesla’s headquarters and his residence to Texas, but California remains the strongest U.S. market for the electric-car maker, accounting for nearly 40% of its American sales and more than half of all zero-emission vehicles purchased by Golden State drivers last year. Despite this, Tesla stock took a 10% hit last week, shaving a further $22 billion off Musk’s fortune.

Appointing a Black woman to the Supreme Court would fulfil not just President Biden’s campaign pledge, but also America’s promise of equality, says civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. The resignation of Justice Stephen Breyer this summer sets a key test for the Biden administration.

Dallas billionaire Trevor Rees-Jones says he’s been running around “with my pants on fire” the last few weeks after negotiating the $2.65 billion sale of Chief Oil & Gas to Chesapeake Energy. The sale of a large stake of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale region caps out a mammoth deal-making stretch for the Texas wildcatter.

Local politics are normally below the radar of Silicon Valley investors, but here’s why VCs Jason Calacanis, Marc Andreessen and David Sacks have donated to a campaign pushing for a recall election for progressive San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr was sold off by Chinese gaming giant Beijing Kunlun after a turbulent and controversial four-year run. Now the app, which was acquired by a low-profile investment group in 2020, has been pulled from the App Store in China, and Huawei and Tencent’s Android app libraries.

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Instagram pulled adverts from mental health startup Cerebal for violating its rules around eating disorders and body image. The SoftBank-backed startup, which connects patients with therapy and prescriptions, had served up more than 30 controversial ads connecting ADHD with overeating and obesity.

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Working in a hybrid environment can be challenging. Here are 10 habits to practice to ensure all employees feel treated equally.

As several countries lift Covid-19 restrictions, with businesses recalling their employees to the office, it's time to think about enhancing the experiences that employees can gain from being in the same place as their colleagues.

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