Daniel Ek Steps Down as Spotify CEO Amid Growing Backlash

Spotify has announced that Daniel Ek will step down as CEO on January 1, 2026, moving into the role of executive chairman. Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, currently co-presidents, will take over as co-CEOs. Ek has framed the change as a natural evolution, but the announcement arrives under the shadow of mounting criticism over his leadership and the company’s impact on artists.

A Royalty Model That Fails Artists

Ek’s tenure has been defined by constant battles with musicians over Spotify’s royalty system. While the company boasts of paying out billions annually, critics note that the bulk of those payments flow to a tiny percentage of top performers. Independent artists continue to see fractions of a penny per stream, with little chance of building sustainable careers.

The anger only intensified after Ek suggested in 2020 that artists should “release music more frequently” to stay competitive. Four years later, he inflamed outrage again by declaring that the “cost of creating content is close to zero.” Artists from Dee Snider to Jamiroquai publicly denounced the comments as proof that Spotify’s leadership devalues music and reduces creators to content machines.

Defense Tech Investments Fuel Boycotts

The harshest backlash has come not from Spotify’s payout model but from Ek’s personal investments. Through his firm Prima Materia, he directed €600 million into Helsing, a defense technology startup building AI-driven drones and combat software. To critics, the investments represent a grotesque misuse of Spotify-derived wealth, funneling profits from musicians into the development of autonomous weapons.

The fallout has been severe. Bands including Deerhoof, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Massive Attack pulled their catalogs from Spotify in protest. Social media campaigns urged subscribers to cancel, branding the platform a pipeline from art to war. Ek defended the move as vital for Europe’s security, but his stance only deepened the divide.

Controversy Beyond the Music

Ek’s leadership has also been tied to Spotify’s wider scandals. The company weathered waves of criticism over Joe Rogan’s podcast, AI-generated tracks imitating deceased artists, and “pay-for-play” playlist schemes. High-profile exits from Neil Young and Taylor Swift reflected how deeply many musicians distrusted the platform under his watch.