Welcome back, readers. Spotify quietly removed more than 110 episodes of "The Joe Rogan Experience," and we reviewed the coolest new electric car you've never heard of.
Let's get to it.
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1. Spotify appears to have quietly removed more than 110 episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast. The removal comes amid a controversy over COVID-19 misinformation that led to multiple artists removing their music from the platform — though it's unclear whether the episodes are linked to the ongoing controversy.
- The removed episodes appear to date from before the pandemic. Many feature right-wing commentators or conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones, while others feature left-wing commentators and comedians like Amy Schumer.
- That same day, Rogan posted a video to Instagram apologizing for using a racial slur on his podcast, calling it "the most regretful and shameful thing" he's ever had to discuss publicly, while also stating the clips were "taken out of context."
- His apology came after artist India Arie, who is leaving Spotify over his use of the word, posted a montage of him saying the slur 24 times.
- Arie joins a growing list of artists who have parted ways with Spotify, including Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash, all of whom followed Neil Young's lead.
Read up on the missing episodes and Rogan's apology.
In other news:
2. Meta wants to stop virtual groping by putting four-foot safety bubbles around avatars. In response to reports of virtual sexual harassment in its metaverse, Meta has launched a new feature, dubbed Personal Boundary, which will limit how close avatars can get to each other. Here's how the feature will work.
3. Inside the Uberization of mental health. Therapy apps like Talkspace and BetterHelp have become the Ubers of mental health care, promising to disrupt a broken system — but instead shortchanging therapists and offering patients mediocre care. More on the proliferation of therapy apps.
4. A Dutch mayor denied plans to dismantle a historic bridge for Jeff Bezos' superyacht. The mayor of Rotterdam said if the bridge needs to be dismantled, Bezos or his shipbuilder may need to foot the bill. Meanwhile, some residents have RSVPed to an event titled "Throwing eggs at Jeff Bezos' superyacht."
5. Facebook's unprecedented slump has some employees panicking. While the company's historic stock fall last week spooked investors and some newer workers, more experienced staffers are expecting a rebound — and an opportunity for bigger equity awards. See what employees are saying.
6. SpaceX's satellites are increasingly photobombing astronomical images. A new study has found a 35-fold increase in the twilight images corrupted by streaks caused by the company's satellites. Get the full rundown here.
7. Meet the secretive group leading Google's play for augmented reality. Google Labs, the company's secretive 700-person unit, is focused on big bets like the metaverse, blockchain, and Web3. Insider got a look at internal org charts that outline the who's who of the division — take a look at the people behind Google Labs.
8. The teen tracking Elon Musk's private jet rejected a free Tesla. Jack Sweeney, who runs a Twitter account following the movements of Musk's jet, was offered a Tesla Model 3 for three years if he deleted the account — but he turned it down. Here's why.
9. A stretch of road that can charge electric cars as they drive is being built in Detroit. Electreon Wireless, a startup working with Ford and DTE, wants to bring the charging infrastructure to Motor City by next year. We explain how it'd work.
10. The Polestar 2 is the coolest new electric car you've never heard of. Polestar's first serious production car is a fantastic sedan that delivers elegant tech, striking looks, and 270 miles of range. Insider's transportation reporter takes us inside the $45,900 EV.
What we're watching today:
- NFTs of John Lennon's objects will be offered at an exclusive auction: "Lennon Connection: The NFT Collection."
- Take-Two Interactive is expected to report earnings today. Keep up with earnings here.
- The virtual DeveloperWeek Conference & Expo takes place today through Feb. 9.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.