His story is an astonishing one, yet his personality and attitude match those of other mercurial leaders of very young businesses that are well on the way to the magic 10-figure valuation. Spotify was unreasonable right from the start, and its meteoric rise to become one of the world’s highest-profile unicorns – privately owned startups valued at over US$1 billion – was down to Ek’s unique ability to disrupt, challenge convention and see opportunities that no-one else could. If the pirates had failed, what hope was there for anyone sticking to the lawful route?

Napster and Kazaa had both had a go, with varying degrees of legality, and little in the way of success. Most recently, he’s declared his interest in buying his favourite football club, Arsenal, the value of which is slated at £1.8 billion ($2.5bn), and although owner Stan Kroenke doesn’t want to sell, who knows what will happen if there is enough money on the table.Īlways one to go his own way, it certainly seemed ridiculous to imagine there was money to be made in peer-to-peer music streaming in 2002.

It’s an apt sentiment for the 38-year-old Swedish Spotify Co-Founder and CEO as he’s built an extraordinary career by never accepting the status quo, and insisting others bend to his whim – however ridiculous it seemed – at every turn. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Daniel Ek’s favourite quote is from George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.

Daniel eck spotify