King Gizzard, Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu Leave Spotify Over CEO Military Drone Investments

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have removed almost their entire music catalog from Spotify in protest against CEO Daniel Ek's investments in military drone technology powered by artificial intelligence. The band condemned Ek's financial involvement with Helsing, a German military tech company developing autonomous systems, urging fans and fellow artists to boycott Spotify and support alternative platforms like Bandcamp. This move follows similar actions by other artists such as Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, highlighting growing ethical concerns over Spotify's leadership profiting from defense technology. The band emphasized their desire to offer music in more transparent and ethically sustainable environments while criticizing Spotify’s business practices related to artist compensation and ethical accountability. Their protest has sparked wider discussions about the responsibility of streaming platforms and their executives regarding the use of profits and investments linked to military and surveillance technologies. Despite losing visibility on Spotify, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and others are prioritizing ethical considerations over commercial exposure.