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Discover Weekly: Daniel Ek's Humble Confession About Spotify's Crown Jewel

In a just-revealed post on X, Spotify's CEO and founder, Daniel Ek, let the world in on a surprising secret. Although he's the captain steering Spotify's ship, Ek admitted quite candidly that he didn't grasp the appeal of Spotify's flagship feature, "Discover Weekly," in its early stages. When presented with the concept for "Discover Weekly," Ek wasn't an immediate backer or believer. In his own words, "I didn't really get why it was special."

Ek's skeptical perspective quickly changed, however, as the dedicated Spotify team persisted with their efforts. The tireless crew relentlessly worked on their brainchild, gradually winning over their internally skeptical audience, including the big boss himself. More significantly, upon the launch of "Discover Weekly," Spotify's user community embraced and fell in love with the feature, making it one of the most popular features on the music streaming platform to this very day.

Unveiled in 2015, Discover Weekly was an overnight sensation and influential in paving the way for algorithmic personalization in music discovery. Scoring 40 million engaged users from a base of 75 million active users, the playlist turned into a valuable tool for discovering new music and luring new users. With its soaring popularity, Spotify went on to develop more curated playlists, setting a leading trend and prodding competitors like Apple Music and YouTube Music to follow suit.

Beyond admitting his initial hesitation about Discover Weekly, the Swedish tycoon took a moment to reflect on his role as a startup founder. Dismissing the notion that startup founders always have every little detail figured out, Ek stressed on the value of feedback and applauded the power of active listening. Drawing from his own experiences, he pitched himself as a puzzle-solver, piecing together various perspectives to shape Spotify's journey.

To wrap it up, Ek's confession unveils the human side of the business. It's an insightful reminder that not every spark of genius is understood or welcomed outright, and that is okay. In Ek's case, it was recognizing potential, staying open to feedback, and fostering a lens of active listening that helped shape Spotify's success. The next time you're tuning into your favorite Discover Weekly track, remember this refreshing anecdote from the visionary who's steering the Spotify experience.