Photo by AS Photography
Spotify has announced that its founder Daniel Ek will relinquish his role as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026, and assume the position of Executive Chairman. The move formalises a shift in responsibilities: Ek will step back from day-to-day operations to focus instead on long-term strategy, capital allocation, regulatory engagement, and guiding the board. Meanwhile, co-presidents Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström will become co-CEOs, reporting directly to Ek in his new governance role.
In a letter to employees titled Evolving How We Lead, Ek emphasised that while his title is changing, his commitment remains: “What changes is my time and focus. As executive chairman, I will spend more of my time on the long arc: strategy, capital allocation, regulatory efforts and the calls that will shape the next decade for Spotify.” He also noted that he would maintain an involvement beyond what is typical for American-style chairmen, reflecting a more European governance model.
This leadership transition aims to ratify a structure that, according to Spotify, has been in effect since 2023, where day-to-day decisions and operations have largely been handled by Söderström and Norström.
While Spotify currently operates with over 700 million subscribers and hosts a vast library of more than 100 million songs, 7 million podcasts, and 350,000 audiobooks, the streaming giant now faces renewed scrutiny over governance, leadership influence, and ethical accountability.
The timing of Ek’s transition coincides with a growing backlash in the music community. Massive Attack and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are among artists who recently requested that their catalogue be removed from Spotify in all territories, citing objections to Ek’s €600 million investment in Helsing, a weapons-technology firm developing AI and drone systems. They argued that continuing to stream their music implicates artists in funding what Massive Attack call “lethal, dystopian technologies.”
Spotify has responded to the controversy by asserting that it operates independently from Helsing, and that the two companies remain legally distinct.
As Spotify enters this new era of shared leadership, the challenge ahead will be to align corporate governance with the expectations of artists, users, and shareholders while Ek makes this momentous transition.
