The structural governance of Spotify Technology S.A. is currently defined by a significant pivot toward high-level strategic oversight, a transition that aligns with the personal investment trajectories of its founding leadership. As the company moves toward its 2026 leadership reorganization, the role of Daniel Ek, the founder and long-term Chief Executive Officer, is shifting from operational management to a more insulated position as Executive Chairman.1 This evolution, effective January 1, 2026, formalizes a “European Chairman setup” where Ek’s primary focus will be capital allocation, regulatory strategy, and the long-term strategic arc of the platform.1 For a forensic audit of military complicity, this transition is critical because it identifies the primary node of capital control—Daniel Ek—as the individual responsible for diversifying Spotify-derived wealth into the defense sector.
The most prominent evidence of militarized capital flow is Daniel Ek’s substantial personal and venture-backed investment in Helsing, a German-based artificial intelligence (AI) defense firm. In June 2025, reports confirmed that Ek’s venture capital vehicle, Prima Materia, led a €600 million (approximately $702 million) funding round for Helsing.4 This investment represents a major escalation from a prior €100 million stake in 2021.4 Daniel Ek currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Helsing, directly overseeing a company that specializes in AI-powered combat systems, real-time battlefield mapping, and munitions software.5 While Spotify maintains that it is a “totally separate company” from Helsing, the capital used by Ek to fund these defense initiatives is inextricably linked to the market dominance and user-generated revenue of Spotify.5
The strategic significance of this investment lies in the nature of Helsing’s technology. Helsing produces software that synthesizes data from military sensors—including infrared, sonar, and radio frequencies—to create a “live operational picture” for battlefield decision-making.7 This technology is integrated into tactical platforms such as the HX-2 military drone and AI flight systems for fighter aircraft.6 The presence of Spotify’s founder at the helm of an arms technology firm has sparked a “tipping point” of dissent among artists, who argue that the economic success of their creative work is being repurposed to fund “lethal, dystopian technologies”.6
The personnel architecture of Spotify demonstrates a pattern of recruitment from high-level defense and aerospace sectors. The appointment of Christian Luiga as Chief Financial Officer in April 2024 provides a clear example of this cross-sectoral pipeline. Luiga joined Spotify directly from Saab AB, where he served as Deputy CEO and CFO.11 Saab AB is a major Swedish aerospace and defense company responsible for manufacturing fighter jets (Gripen) and sophisticated weapons systems. Luiga’s transition into Spotify’s top financial office brings expertise in large-scale defense budgeting and government contracting to the streaming giant at a time when its founder is aggressively pursuing defense-tech startups.
| Executive Position | Individual | Previous Industry / Notable Affiliation | Strategic Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Chairman (eff. 2026) | Daniel Ek | Chairman of Helsing (AI Defense / Munitions) | Controls capital allocation and long-term strategy |
| Chief Financial Officer | Christian Luiga | Deputy CEO & CFO of Saab AB (Aerospace/Defense) | Expertise in defense-sector financial management |
| Co-Chief Executive Officer | Alex Norström | Former Chief Business Officer (Spotify) | Leads commercial partnerships and revenue growth |
| Co-Chief Executive Officer | Gustav Söderström | Former Chief Product & Technology Officer (Spotify) | Oversees AI R&D and platform infrastructure |
| Senior Counsel (Legal/Business) | Andrew Joseph | Sergeant, Nahal Infantry Brigade (Israeli Military) | Manages legal frameworks and business affairs |
Furthermore, the operational continuity of Spotify is managed by Co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström, both of whom have been with the company for over 15 years and were instrumental in its rise to market dominance.1 Their roles, while focused on the civilian product, provide the financial stability and growth required to maintain the high valuation of the company, which in turn empowers the founder’s ability to engage in defense-sector “deterrence” and innovation.3
The original intelligence requirements for this audit demand a distinction between “off-the-shelf” civilian sales and “purpose-built” military supply. While Spotify as a corporate entity does not manufacture kinetic weaponry, its leadership is actively building a “purpose-built” military software infrastructure through Helsing. The technical capabilities of Helsing represent a significant advancement in tactical support components, specifically in the realm of AI-assisted targeting and autonomous systems.
Helsing’s technology is designed for “all-domain defense innovation,” a term used to describe systems that can coordinate across air, land, sea, and cyber spheres.13 The HX-2 drone, developed by Helsing, represents a “lethal platform” capability, as it is marketed as a military munition drone.6 Daniel Ek has defended these developments as necessary for European sovereignty, arguing that Europe must build globally relevant tech companies to compete with the US and China in the defense sector.7 However, the portability of AI software means that technologies developed for “deterrence” in one theater (such as Ukraine) are theoretically applicable to other conflicts, including those in the Middle East.6
The controversy surrounding the Helsing investment is amplified by the lack of transparency regarding the software’s end-users. While a Spotify spokesperson claimed in September 2025 that Helsing was “not involved in Gaza” and was instead focused on European defense in Ukraine, the “No Music for Genocide” campaign remains unconvinced.6 This campaign, comprising over 400 artists, views the development of AI-integrated fighter aircraft technology as an existential threat to global human rights, particularly in the context of the “apartheid, war crimes and genocide” they allege are being committed by the state of Israel.6
The audit must also account for the ideological and operational overlap between Spotify’s civilian AI research and the military’s use of similar digital tools. Spotify’s R&D division, led by Gustav Söderström, uses advanced AI to “understand listeners, creators, and content,” extracting signals from data to predict preferences.14 Concurrently, Human Rights Watch has documented the Israeli military’s use of AI and surveillance technologies in Gaza to “determine who or what to attack”.15 These military tools, such as the “Target Machine” and the “Lavender” system, analyze social connections and metadata in a manner strikingly similar to social media and streaming platform algorithms.15
While there is no direct evidence of Spotify providing its user data to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD), the “forensic proximity” of its CEO to the defense AI sector creates a concern regarding the cross-pollination of algorithmic research. The head of AI at Israel’s Unit 8200 has described using machine learning to “find new terrorists” by rating people based on data patterns, a methodology that shares its technical DNA with the predictive modeling used by global streaming platforms to identify and categorize users.15
A central objective of this audit is to document leadership and personnel whose backgrounds materially or ideologically support militarized systems. The presence of individuals with direct ties to the Israeli military and its associated lobbying groups within Spotify’s organizational structure provides evidence of such support.
The audit identifies Andrew Joseph as a prominent figure within Spotify’s legal and business hierarchy. Joseph, who holds the title of Senior Counsel in Legal and Business Affairs, is a former Sergeant in the Nahal Infantry Brigade of the Israeli military.16 The Nahal Brigade is an elite unit within the IDF often deployed in combat and security operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Joseph’s transition from an active combat unit to a senior legal role at Spotify places an individual with direct military experience in a position to influence the company’s internal policies, contracts, and strategic business decisions.16
In addition to Joseph, the audit notes that Spotify’s partnership with Riverside.fm—a company now central to Spotify’s “Spotify for Creators” platform—further deepens the IDF connection. Riverside’s founders, Gideon and Nadav Keyson, are Israeli-based entrepreneurs.17 Nadav Keyson served in the Israeli Navy, which he has described as a “meaningful experience” that shaped his approach to team dynamics and operational focus.18 Riverside’s staff also includes veterans of the Israeli government, military, or intelligence sectors, such as Ofir Brenner.16
Spotify’s Safety Advisory Council, established to provide guidance on platform content and user safety, includes members with documented links to pro-Israel lobbying organizations and state institutions. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which has a seat on the council, was founded by the late George Weidenfeld, a political advisor to Israel’s first President.16 The ISD is led by Michael Lewis, the former director of BICOM, a group that maintains strong links to the British government and the Israeli embassy, and which has been involved in coordinating anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) efforts.16
| Advisory Body Member | Affiliation | Background Context |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Lewis (ISD) | Former Director, BICOM | BICOM coordinates with the Israeli embassy on PR and anti-BDS campaigns 16 |
| Ronaldo Lemos | Facebook Oversight Board | Serves alongside Emi Palmor (founder of Israeli Cyber Unit / ex-Unit 8200) 16 |
| Christer Mattsson | Yad Vashem (Collaborator) | Yad Vashem is a state-funded Israeli institution 16 |
| Meghan Phelps-Roper | Israeli Ministry of Tourism (Indirect) | Cites sponsorship and interaction with Israeli state-sponsored individuals 16 |
These connections suggest that the platform’s “safety” and “content moderation” frameworks are influenced by actors who are ideologically aligned with the Israeli state. This has real-world implications for digital rights, as these groups have successfully pressured Spotify to delete pro-resistance Palestinian music, such as the works of hip-hop artist Lowkey, by framing them as “harmful” or “extremist”.16
The forensic audit of Spotify’s “Logistical Sustainment” and “Supply Chain Integration” requires an investigation into its physical and technical footprint in the region. Spotify maintains a registered entity, “Spotify Israel,” and conducts operations within the Israeli market, which it entered in early 2018 despite initial denials.19
Spotify’s decision to sunset its native podcasting tools in favor of a deep integration with Riverside.fm is a significant operational development. Riverside is an Israeli-based SaaS company with headquarters in Tel Aviv.17 It is now the “go-to creation platform” for Spotify podcasters, allowing for high-quality remote recording directly within the “Spotify for Creators” interface.21 This partnership means that every creator using Spotify’s primary toolset is relying on software developed and maintained by a company led by Israeli military veterans.17
The financial health of Riverside is also bolstered by Spotify’s patronage. Riverside has raised over $74 million through several funding rounds, led by Zeev Ventures and other high-profile investors.17 As Spotify’s preferred technical partner, Riverside occupies a critical node in the platform’s supply chain. This is not “incidental association” but a strategic choice to outsource a core creator-facing function to a firm embedded in the Israeli tech-military ecosystem.
Spotify’s influence in Israel extends into the educational and innovation sectors. The Rimon School of Music’s “Innovation Lab” in Ramat Hasharon is explicitly designed to mentor the next generation of music-tech entrepreneurs, with the goal of “creating the next Spotify”.24 This lab teaches advanced programming and AI modeling, and its leadership emphasizes the importance of connecting students with industry leaders.24 By serving as the aspirational model for such programs, Spotify integrates itself into the Israeli state’s “Silicon Wadi” economy, which is characterized by the rapid transfer of technologies and personnel between civilian and military applications.
The ownership structure of Spotify Technology S.A. reveals a concentration of voting power among its founders and a massive financial stake held by global institutional investors. These investors are often primary financiers of the very defense contractors mentioned in the audit’s core requirements, such as Elbit Systems and IAI.
Spotify utilizes a dual-class share structure with “beneficiary certificates” that grant Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon enhanced voting rights.25 This mechanism ensures that the founders retain substantial control over the company’s strategic direction even after selling a majority of their economic stake to external investors.25 This insulation is significant because it protects Daniel Ek’s ability to remain Chairman of the Board even while facing intense public criticism and artist boycotts over his defense-sector investments.5
The largest institutional owners of Spotify include BlackRock, Inc., Morgan Stanley, and Baillie Gifford & Co.26 As of January 2026, these institutions hold a combined total of over 139 million shares.26 While these are passive investments, these same firms manage portfolios with significant holdings in major Israeli defense prime contractors.
| Institutional Shareholder | Spotify Shares Held (approx.) | Broad Industry Overlap |
|---|---|---|
| BlackRock, Inc. | (Largest Shareholder) | Global investor in Elbit Systems, IAI, and major arms manufacturers 26 |
| Morgan Stanley | (Top 3 Shareholder) | Major financier of global defense and aerospace sectors 26 |
| Baillie Gifford & Co | (Top 3 Shareholder) | Long-term investor in tech and defense-related growth sectors 26 |
| State Street Corp | (Top 5 Shareholder) | Significant institutional holder of defense contractor stocks 26 |
The presence of these firms as the pillars of Spotify’s share price creates a financial network where the platform’s growth directly benefits the global investment houses that sustain the Israeli defense industry. This “Secondary Complicity” is often overlooked but remains a critical component of a forensic logistics audit, as it demonstrates how a civilian platform serves as a high-performance asset in a portfolio that includes lethal munitions and surveillance systems.
The audit must address the ideological support or suppression regarding the occupation of Palestine. Evidence suggests that Spotify’s platform is a site of active contestation, where the removal of content and the protest of artists highlight the company’s role in the geopolitical landscape.
The successful pressure applied by Zionist lobby groups like “We Believe in Israel” and the “Board of Deputies of British Jews” to remove Palestinian music is a well-documented example of platform bias.16 These groups have explicitly targeted artists like Lowkey, using their links to the Israeli embassy to demand structural changes in Spotify’s content regulation.16 This has led to the deletion of tracks that express resistance to the occupation, effectively using the platform’s “Safety” policies to silence Palestinian narratives.16
The “Safety Advisory Council” plays a key role here. By including individuals who work with state-funded institutions like Yad Vashem or who have been “sponsored” by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, the council is perceived by digital rights activists as a mechanism for the “normalization” of the occupation and the “censorship” of those who oppose it.16
In 2025, the “No Music for Genocide” campaign significantly escalated the pressure on Spotify. Over 400 artists and labels have pledged to geo-block their music in Israel, a move intended to provide solidarity to those “living day after day in a screen-time genocide”.6 This initiative explicitly cites the historical precedent of artist action against apartheid South Africa as its moral foundation.6
| Boycotting Artist / Band | Reasoning / Action Taken |
|---|---|
| Massive Attack | Removed catalog from Spotify to protest Ek’s Helsing investment and joined geo-block initiative 6 |
| King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Pulled music from platform; labeled Ek a “warmonger” for military drone investments 5 |
| Deerhoof | Protested “AI battle tech” and pulled catalog 5 |
| Xiu Xiu | Labeled Spotify a “garbage hole violent armageddon portal” and exited 5 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor | Joined the boycott citing moral and ethical burdens 6 |
The campaign emphasizes that the low royalty rates paid to artists—approximately $0.004 per stream—make the situation even more egregious, as artists feel they are being paid “poverty wages” while their work generates the billions that Daniel Ek uses to buy into the “military-industrial complex”.4
While not a direct defense contract, Spotify’s handling of user data and its vulnerability to scraping represent a significant security risk with potential military implications. In December 2025, over 300 terabytes of files were scraped from Spotify’s servers, including 256 million rows of metadata.28
Metadata—which includes a user’s social connections, location history, and daily habits—is a primary source for modern signals intelligence. Human Rights Watch’s reporting on the Israeli military’s “Lavender” system highlights how this exact type of data is used to inform military actions and threat predictions.15 Lavender uses machine learning to rate people based on patterns of movement and social interaction.15 If a platform as large as Spotify, with over 696 million users, suffers massive data breaches, that metadata becomes available on the dark web or archive sites, where it can be harvested by state intelligence agencies to refine their targeting models.25
The forensic audit of Spotify Technology S.A. reveals a complex architecture of associations that bridge the gap between a civilian streaming service and the global defense industry. These vectors can be synthesized as follows:
