Daniel Ek
Swedish founder of Spotify, now its executive chairman
- Age
- 43 yrs
- Birthday in 107 days
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Daniel Ek is a Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded the music-streaming service Spotify with Martin Lorentzon in 2006 to offer a legal alternative to piracy. He led it as CEO to become the world’s largest audio-streaming platform and became executive chairman at the start of 2026.
Biography
Early ventures
Ek grew up in Rågsved, Stockholm, and built websites for clients as a teenager. He worked at Tradera and as CTO of Stardoll, and sold his ad company Advertigo to Tradedoubler.
Spotify
With Lorentzon, Tradedoubler’s co-founder, he founded Spotify in 2006. It launched in 2008, offering free ad-supported and paid streaming after licensing deals with record labels.
Growth
Spotify expanded worldwide, added podcasts and audiobooks and listed directly on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018. Artists criticised its royalty rates.
Investments
Through Prima Materia he invested in the European defence-AI firm Helsing, which drew criticism. He handed the CEO role to co-CEOs in January 2026.
Timeline
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1983
Born in Stockholm, Sweden
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2006
Co-founds Spotify
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2008
Spotify launches in Europe
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2011
Launches in the US
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2018
Spotify lists in New York
-
2019
Push into podcasts
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2026
Becomes executive chairman
Did you know?
-
1
He tried to buy Arsenal football club in 2021.
-
2
Spotify’s name came from a misheard word, later explained as “spot” and “identify”.
-
3
He became a millionaire as a teenager.
Connections
Also born on 21 February
- Gaggan Anand Food & Cooking · Chef of the progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok 1978
-
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
Science · Chemist and founding director of CSIR
1894
-
Kevin Rose
Technology · Founder of Digg and early tech-TV and podcast personality
1977
-
Jeff Weiner
Technology · CEO of LinkedIn from 2009 to 2020
1970
Frequently asked
Who is Daniel Ek?
Daniel Ek is a Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded the music-streaming service Spotify with Martin Lorentzon in 2006 to offer a legal alternative to piracy. He led it as CEO to become the world’s largest audio-streaming platform and became executive chairman at the start of 2026.
How old is Daniel Ek?
Daniel Ek is 43 years old, born on 21 February 1983 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Where is Daniel Ek from?
Daniel Ek was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
What is Daniel Ek known for?
Daniel Ek is best known for Co-founding Spotify (2006); CEO 2006–2025; Prima Materia investments.
References
- Daniel Ek — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Daniel Ek — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Daniel Ek — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Daniel Ek (Q901670) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Daniel Ek”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Daniel Ek.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/daniel-ek
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