Why Did Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Step Down? Inside the Decision to Walk Away

As with most things in life, change is inevitable, even when it comes to the inner workings of some of the biggest companies in the world. The business world was recently hit with the news that the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, has decided to step down.

So, what was behind him leaving one of the top music streaming services?

Daniel Ek co-founded Spotify back in 2006 and spearheaded the streaming service to become one of the leaders in the space. It led him to billionaire status — but now he has officially decided to enter a new era and leave his CEO role behind.

Per Forbes, Daniel will vacate as CEO and move into the role of executive chairman. With this transition, current Spotify presidents, Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström will now be co-CEOs of the company. The change to the Spotify board will officially take place beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.

“I’ve spent twenty years, nearly my entire adult life, as Spotify’s CEO,” Daniel said, per the outlet.“I’m ready to go from a player to a coach.”

Speaking of Alex and Gustav stepping into his shoes, Daniel expressed his confidence. “They're more than capable and more than ready to take it on,” he said. “And in many ways, they are way better at leading this company than I ever was, as a combination.”

As Spotify’s executive chairman, Daniel Ek is set to deal with the company’s long-term strategy and key investments.

“I’m going to be involved in the long arc of the company, the big strategy decisions, the big capital allocation decisions,” he said of his plans. “But to be brutally clear, so that there's no doubt, they are going to run the company, they are the CEOs, they'll make the decisions.”

In an effort to strengthen its AI protections for artists and music producers alike, Spotify implemented a “new spam-filtering system and AI disclosures for music with industry-standard credits,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. To start the process, the company permanently removed 75 million “spammy” songs across its streaming service.

“At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push ‘slop’ into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers,” the company wrote on its website. “That kind of harmful AI content degrades the user experience for listeners and often attempts to divert royalties to bad actors.”

“We’ve introduced a new impersonation policy that clarifies how we handle claims about AI voice clones (and other forms of unauthorized vocal impersonation), giving artists stronger protections and clearer recourse,” the message continued. “Vocal impersonation is only allowed in music on Spotify when the impersonated artist has authorized the usage.”