Spotify shuts Russian offices ‘indefinitely’
Spotify said it has closed its Russian office “indefinitely” following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, in contrast to many tech firms, including Google and YouTube, Spotify has not restricted its services in the country.
A Spotify representative confirmed the news to Variety, and commented: “We think it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information.”
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” the representative added.
“Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever.”
By shutting its Russian office, Spotify is no longer in compliance with a Russian law, which obliges foreign social media companies with over 500,000 daily users to have a local office in the country, according to Reuters.
Spotify has been in hot water in recent weeks about the content it allows on its platform, following the infamous Joe Rogan debacle, and a number of artists boycotting the platform.