Episode 29: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek - Poland vs Brussels - Harassment survey

<p>Host Ryan Heath interviews Daniel Ek, the CEO of global music pioneer Spotify.</p> <p>The music world was a notorious graveyard for online entrepreneurs: until Spotify. In this episode, Ek explains why he thinks Stockholm-based Spotify is different to Silicon Valley companies, what he wants from EU regulators, and becomes the first major tech CEO to give his full support to the #metoo movement.</p> <p>Ek also spills the beans on his favorite politician, his first 2018 resolution, and how firing 20 staff as a 17-year-old shaped his approach to building companies.</p> <p>Upbeat on Europe: Ek says &quot;Europe has made tremendous progress just over the last 10 years&quot; in closing its funding gap with Silicon Valley. He nominated fintech as the tech niche where Europe is achieving global leadership.</p> <p>EU regulators on right track but too slow: The development of an EU digital single market would be &quot;very useful&quot; because it would give &quot;easy ways for people to be able to scale up&quot; their companies before having to deal with multiple regulators, putting them on a par with U.S.-based firms. Ek credits EU officials for the right moves, but says they are too slow in making them.</p> <p>Vestager fan: Ek says it's time for fairer marketplaces — &quot;regulation can actually help small firms&quot; and more competition — a message that is music to the ears of European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. &quot;We want there to be more people to compete: that ultimately will bring more innovation. It's really simple as that. And from my vantage point, she seems to be all for that.&quot;</p> <p>Time for equality in tech: Having two daughters made Ek realise &quot;how unfair the world is&quot; and that, even in Sweden, girls grow up bombarded by &quot;stereotyping.&quot; With a clear note of frustration, Ek said: &quot;I think there's so much bullshit being used by people like me in terms of saying 'oh, well, there's not enough females in technology so we can't be gender-balanced. That's bull