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> Likewise if the free market is used as a way to reduce the availability of content, I can be against that while still supporting it as a guiding concept.

Joe Rogan being on Spotify is entirely about limiting the availability of his podcast. They're paying him to not make his episodes available outside of Spotify.



It was his choice to sign that deal though.


For all the talk he gives, it was ultimately a matter of money for him. I respect JR for being genuinely curious about vast number of topics and asking right questions, but he of all people should have known that limiting access to his podcasts will hurt his reputation.


> it was ultimately a matter of money for him

Not necessarily. He could have seen the writing on the wall with Google/YouTube and wanted a platform where he would not be censored ... and may have miscalculated.


I agree. He's said similar things before on his podcast, and I have little reason to not believe him.

People seem to forget that he had an ownership stake in the UFC, which sold for over 4 billion dollars. Also, an ownership stake in Onnit (cofounder), which sold for untold millions to Unilever. $100MM is a lot of money, but he was very, very wealthy before that deal. It's not like he was scraping by on Ramen noodles before Spotify came along.


When in the history of mankind was anyone ever too rich to want more?[1] The hedonic treadmill doesn't top-out at 6 or 7 digits.

1. Also "I signed a 100M deal" can be about more than just the money


That doesn't seem to be nearly what has happened, though.


I disagree. Anoyone that say any decision was only about one thing (in this case, money) doesn’t have a very nuanced view of the world.

It could be about fear (of being back at a place where he wanted food) It could be about legacy (he wants to give the money to children, family, whatever) It could be about money (I will have felt I’ve made it when I have a Yacht)…but he seems to be a smarter person than that. It could be about not ever having to work doing anything he doesn’t want to ever again. It could be about distributing is thoughts as far and wide as he can.

but just saying it was ‘ultimately a matter of money’ is a non-statement.


He's independently wealthy, he talks about his fear factor money on the show all the time. He talks about how he is free to do what he wants.

Spotify made him a tremendous offer.




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