The Joe Rogan saga has had its ups and downs but despite it all, the company with the rights to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Spotify, has not only decided to not cancel Rogan, but it’s also speaking out against cancel culture as a thing that hinders forward societal progress.

When last we left off, Rogan had issued an apology after a video was released showing Rogan using the “n-word” on multiple occasions. The video gave no context as to why he had used the words, though people familiar with the podcast were aware that Rogan had never used the word maliciously and was often quoting others. He put out an apology video explaining that he had always used the full word thinking that people would understand with the context attached.

As my colleague Jeff Charles wrote, those trying to cancel him do understand, they just don’t care. The goal isn’t understanding, it’s silencing someone who carries a more complete narrative in order to protect the carefully crafted narrative that serves the left.

It appears to be something that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek doesn’t want Spotify to engage in. Releasing a statement, Ek said that while Rogan’s statement doesn’t reflect the values of the streaming service and that after a conversation with Rogan, the podcast host had made the decision to remove the episodes himself. Despite this, he recognizes that many want more than just these episodes taken down, they want Rogan gone. To that, Ek refused.

While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.

With this said, Ek noted that he will invest millions into elevating voices from underrepresented communities:

If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds. We’ve been doing a great deal of work in this area already but I think we can do even more. So I am committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups. This will dramatically increase our efforts in these areas. While some might want us to pursue a different path, I believe that more speech on more issues can be highly effective in improving the status quo and enhancing the conversation altogether.

As I wrote previously, Spotify attempting to “balance” the conversation by throwing money and promoting “opposing” voices to Rogans won’t actually work due to the fact that what they’re really promoting and elevating are propagandistic takes from people who have no interest in seeing both sides of the issue as Rogan does. The reason 11 million people listen to Rogan is because of the balance he pursues and the interesting conversations he has. One-sided hosts won’t give the listener what they want.

(READ: Pressuring Spotify to Balance out Joe Rogan Won’t Work for Two Reasons)

Also, before we award Ek social merit for resisting cancel culture, the possibility should be considered that he’s only doing this because of Rogan’s aforementioned 11 million listeners. Should the same stink be raised over a much smaller podcaster, it would be interesting to see how the company reacts.

Regardless, credit where credit is due. Ek’s decision should be applauded and the people should let it be known that the decision to resist cancel culture was the right one. While Spotify’s mettle will be tested further down the line, for now, they’ve passed the test.