Daniel Ek to step down as Spotify CEO after nearly two decades
Spotify founder Daniel Ek has announced he will step down as CEO on 1 January 2026, moving into the role of executive chairman after nearly 20 years at the helm. Presidents Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström, long considered his successors, will take over as co-CEOs.
Ek, who co-founded Spotify in 2006, said he is "ready to go from a player to a coach." Under his leadership, Spotify grew into a $150 billion company, boasting almost 700 million active users, including 276 million paid subscribers. The service is widely credited with helping revive the global music industry through its streaming model.
As executive chairman, Ek will focus on long-term strategy and his growing portfolio of ambitious investments, ranging from health tech start-up Neko to defence technology firm Helsing. He said his future lies in tackling "problems traditional investors aren't set up to solve."
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