In a statement to The Guardian, Spotify claimed that the content was removed because it “violated our policies, not because of employee discussion.” Per the outlet, the streaming service doesn’t remove content based on an individual’s behavior outside of the platform—the whole Joe Rogan debacle should serve as pretty good evidence of that—but it does have a policy to remove content that makes “dehumanising” statements about groups based on protected characteristics like gender or sexuality. Content targeting specific individuals or groups for harassment is also supposedly banned.
Multiple Tate episodes remain on the platform despite these rules, however, including one from 2023 titled “How to get girls FAST AND EASY by Andrew Tate (PHD Course).” The two-plus hour segment is expectedly horrid, and “teaches” men that they must “build” the perfect woman and that some women are “more moldable” than others. As of this writing, there are over 200 comments underneath the episode on Spotify calling for its removal.
Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, face charges of rape, human trafficking, and other offenses in Romania, per The Guardian. They are also wanted by British authorities investigating allegations of rape and human trafficking, and earlier this month, Florida’s attorney general announced that he had opening a criminal investigation into them as well. The brothers have denied the allegations, with Andrew Tate suggesting they were being targeted due to their wealth. “I’m sure at the end we’ll be absolutely exonerated,” he said last year, per the outlet. The brothers recently flew to the U.S. on a private jet after Romanian authorities lifted a travel ban against them, which previously kept them in the country.
