Daniel Ek

“But what we can say with great certainty … it’s very important … that we shouldn’t have to rely on anyone else to defend ourselves.”

“We’re at a crossroads for the kind of future we want to build”

“Big challenges often appear impossible until someone decides to tackle them,”

“At Spotify, we started with what felt like an impossible idea. Nearly 20 years later, that idea is used by almost three-quarters of a billion people around the world ... What once looked unreasonable is now obvious.”

“It's been an honor of a lifetime for me to be able to lead Spotify for close to 20 years,”

“It’s a company that builds companies,”

“I’ve spent twenty years, nearly my entire adult life, as Spotify’s CEO,”

“I’m ready to go from a player to a coach.”

“They’re more than capable and more than ready to take it on. And in many ways, they are way better at leading this company than I ever was, as a combination.”

“I’m going to be involved in the long arc of the company, the big strategy decisions, the big capital allocation decisions. 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.”

“We are trying to do things traditional VCs aren’t set up to do—industries where investors can’t go or where the timeline doesn’t make sense.”

“Our challenge was: how do we get the benefit of their amazing execution but still remain founder-led?”

“I always believed that Spotify could play an important role in revolutionizing 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,”

“I don’t know … how the world will unfold,”

“working on some of the biggest challenges through technology that make a meaningful difference.”

“reflects a European Chairman setup,”

“I have always thought about roles as missions,”

“strategy, capital allocation, regulatory efforts, and the calls that will shape the next decade for Spotify.”

“This change simply matches titles to how we already operate.”

“Over the last few years, I've turned over 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 than ready to guide our next phase,”

“Over the last few years, I’ve turned over 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 than ready to guide our next phase,”

“This change simply matches titles to how we already operate. In my role as Executive Chairman, I will focus on the long arc of the company and keep the Board and our co-CEOs deeply connected through my engagement.”

“I feel now is the time, and I don’t want to hold them back,”