Apple Music Competitor Spotify Lays Off Over 1,000 Employees

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek today announced that the company is laying off 17 percent of employees, which equates to more than 1,000 people. Spotify needs to cut costs in an effort to narrow the gap between its current operational costs and financial goal state.

General Spotify Feature

Over the last two years, we've put significant emphasis on building Spotify into a truly great and sustainable business - one designed to achieve our goal of being the world's leading audio company and one that will consistently drive profitability and growth into the future. While we've made worthy strides, as I've shared many times, we still have work to do. Economic growth has slowed dramatically and capital has become more expensive. Spotify is not an exception to these realities.

This brings me to a decision that will mean a significant step change for our company. To align Spotify with our future goals and ensure we are right-sized for the challenges ahead, I have made the difficult decision to reduce our total headcount by approximately 17% across the company.

According to Ek, Spotify took on too many employees in 2020 and 2021, and while that led to increased output and company growth, it also made Spotify less efficient and increased operating costs. Spotify has too many people "dedicated to supporting work" and "doing work around the work" rather than "contributing to opportunities with real impact."

Spotify employees that are impacted by layoffs will be notified by Tuesday, December 5. Severance will be based on tenure and local notice period requirements, with employees receiving an average of five months of severance.

Going forward, Ek says that Spotify must be "relentlessly resourceful" in how it operates because "being lean is not just an option but a necessity." The cuts will let the company "build an even stronger Spotify" in 2024.

In Q3 2023, Spotify brought in $3.6 billion, up from $3.2 billion in the year-ago quarter. Spotify also added 23 million monthly active users and six million paid subscribers, leading to its first profitable quarter in 2023. Profit was only at one percent, however.

Spotify is Apple Music's main competitor, and the company has long protested the fees that Apple collects through its App Store. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek this year has been urging lawmakers in the United Kingdom to adopt a bill that would regulate competition in digital markets and prevent Apple from offering a platform while also competing on that platform.

Apple and Spotify's most recent tiff happened in late 2022 when Apple rejected a Spotify app update that added audiobook support. Spotify attempted to direct customers to buy books online to listen to in the app, which Apple protested. Spotify was ultimately forced to remove all in-app information about how to purchase an audiobook from the Spotify website to get the app approved.

Tag: Spotify

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 17's 'Awe Dropping' Accessories

Friday August 29, 2025 8:12 am PDT by
Following the announcement of Apple's upcoming "Awe dropping" event, on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show we talk through all of the new accessories rumored to debut alongside the iPhone 17 lineup. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos We take a closer look at Apple's invite for "Awe dropping;" the design could hint at the iPhone 17's new thermal system with ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...

Top Rated Comments

abatabia Avatar
23 months ago
I dislike any company that lays off anyone right before the holidays.
Score: 61 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BGPL Avatar
23 months ago
"Spotify employees that are impacted by layoffs will be notified by Tuesday, December 5."

It's always nice learning that your company is RIF'ing a 1000 people from the media, and one of those might be you. Dick move not telling your employees first. Is Bill Lumberg in charge of this reduction in force?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
23 months ago
I mean, business is business but it’s truly sad to see things like this happen just before the holidays. I feel for those people and what they have to go through at such a time of the year.

Don’t companies that do this consider what this does to their reputation? Yes it’s business, but the timing could have been bette… who is consulting them on these decision??? I mean as a customer, it just puts me off them. My opinion is lowered and I’m much less proud to be using their platform.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
23 months ago
I’m guessing none of this improves the rates the artists get paid for having their music streamed
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bmolands Avatar
23 months ago
These long-winded layoff memos are just complete smoke and mirrors. Its can always be summed up: "The leadership couldn't have predicted this from happening. The lowest staff take the brunt of the layoffs. The executives will be getting their Christmas bonus"
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bjojade Avatar
23 months ago

I mean, business is business but it’s truly sad to see things like this happen just before the holidays. I feel for those people and what they have to go through at such a time of the year.

Don’t companies that do this consider what this does to their reputation? Yes it’s business, but the timing could have been bette… who is consulting them on these decision??? I mean as a customer, it just puts me off them. My opinion is lowered and I’m much less proud to be using their platform.
Why do 'the holidays' matter? Getting laid off at any time sucks. And with 5 months severance pay, the holidays might actually be pretty bright.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)