Spotify shakes up its leadership as co-Presidents step into the CEO role while Ek takes on a new chapter.

Daniel Ek steps down

After nearly two decades at the helm, Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek has announced he will step down from the role of CEO starting 1, January 2026. Ek will be transitioning into the role of Executive Chairman, while Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström (co-Presidents since 2023) will officially take the reins as Co-CEOs.

Despite seeming like a big change, it may be less significant than you’d think. In many ways, the shift in title simply makes official what’s already been happening inside the company. Ek himself said: “This change simply matches titles to how we already operate.” For example, both Söderström and Norström have been steering Spotify’s product, tech, and business strategy for many years.

“I always believed that Spotify could play an important role in revolutionising listening around the world, and with more than 700 million users, we’ve truly charted a new course bringing creativity to every corner of the globe. Over the last few years, I’ve turned a large part of the day-to-day management and strategic direction of Spotify to Alex and Gustav- who have shaped the company from our earliest days and are now more ready to guide our next phase. This change simply matches titles to how we already operate.”

Daniel Ek, Spotify founder and current CEO

So, what will Ek be doing now?

As Executive Chairman, Ek’s focus will shift to capital allocation, guiding Spotify’s future direction, and offering support to its senior team. This way, he’ll still be hands-on, keeping what he calls a “European-style” executive chairman role.

Beyond Spotify, Ek has signaled that he’ll be putting more energy into other business interests. In fact, in a note to Spotify’s employees, Ek reiterated his intention from several years ago to build more European “supercompanies”.

What about the new co-CEOs?

Meanwhile, the new co-CEOs aren’t exactly fresh faces. Both have been with Spotify for over fifteen years, and have helped shape the service since its early days. In a joint statement they said:

“We’ve worked together a very long time and have seen Spotify through many different chapters. Nearly three years ago, when we stepped into our role as co-Presidents, we charged our teams with relentlessly focusing on building the best and most valuable experience available anywhere and that ambition hasn’t changed. While we bring different experiences and perspectives to the CEO role, we both have strong bias to action and can’t wait to get started knowing that we will have Daniel’s full partnership and ongoing support.”

Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, Spotify co-Presidents and soon to be co-CEOs

What this means for the industry

For the music industry, the new leadership titles won’t dramatically alter how Spotify operates day to day. The new co-CEOs are experienced and will still be reporting to Ek anyway. 

Instead, this news underlines Spotify’s confidence in its established leadership team and its ambitions going forward. With more than 700 million users worldwide, Spotify’s direction under its new co-CEOs will be watched closely.

Whatever lies ahead for Spotify, you can still get your music onto Spotify for free with RouteNote!