Books recommended by Daniel Ek
Issue #0001 — all eyes are on the Swedish billionaire entrepreneur and technologist, Daniel Ek. Ek is most well known for being the co-founder and CEO of music streaming service Spotify.
Quick facts…
Daniel Ek is the co-founder and CEO of streaming music service Spotify.
Spotify has more than 180 million users, 87 million of whom are paying subscribers.
Via a dual-class share system Ek owns nearly 9% of the shares, but has 37% of voting control.
Daniel Ek and his business parter Martin Lorentzon founded the company in 2006 in Sweden, and launched the product in 2008.
Spotify listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in early April 2018 in an unusual direct listing, eschewing the services of investment banks.
Ek plays guitar, bass, drums, piano and harmonica and is close friends with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Books Daniel Ek recommends…
7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy
by: Hamilton Helmer
7 Powers breaks fresh ground by constructing a comprehensive strategy toolset that is easy for you to learn, communicate and quickly apply.
Why Daniel Ek recommends this book?
"Hamilton Helmer is the best kind of big thinker – he offers great insights that you can turn into real world action.
At Spotify the 7 Powers are widely used as we discuss new initiatives.
His distillation of the key types of strategic power, how to find them, how to leverage them, and how to maintain them is a fantastic toolset for companies at every stage.”
Daniel Ek, co-founder at Spotify
Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success
by Matthew Syed
Columnist for The Times and bestselling author of Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice Matthew Syed argues that the key to success is a positive attitude to failure.
Why Daniel Ek recommends this book?
"Since reading this book, I've literally incorporated this approach to problem-solving into every day.
I've always encouraged those around me not to be scared of failure because I believe it's the most valuable learning tool."
Daniel Ek, co-founder at Spotify
Sapiens
by Yuval Noah Harari
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?
Why Daniel Ek recommends this book?
"One of the most-talked-about books of the last couple of years, and for good reason. Both sobering and conservatively optimistic in equal measure, it seems even more relevant for us at the moment to learn from our socio-anthropological history."
Daniel Ek, co-founder at Spotify
You can now get Yuval Noah Harari Collection 3 Books Set (Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
by Jared Diamond
A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history.
Why Daniel Ek recommends this book?
"A brilliant Pulitzer Prize–winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents. I like how this is written from a biologist’s point of view rather than purely based on history or anthropology."
Daniel Ek, co-founder at Spotify
Bass Culture
by Lloyd Bradley
The first major account of the history of reggae, black music journalist Lloyd Bradley describes its origins and development in Jamaica, from ska to rock-steady to dub and then to reggae itself, a local music which conquered the world.
Why Daniel Ek recommends this book?
"This is such a great history of reggae music and the influences it has on other genres. Some awesome artists are covered here, many who kept their creative integrity and resolve in spite of huge and powerful odds… lessons we should all respect."
Daniel Ek, co-founder at Spotify
