, , , , , , , ,

Daniel Ek Sells $100M in Spotify Stock Following Earnings Report


Spotify co-founder/CEO Daniel Ek sold just over $100 million worth of his stock holdings in the company, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission on Thursday (July 27).


The amount represents the sale of 675,000 shares, which will be sold by D.G.E. Investments, an entity “indirectly wholly owned” by Ek, according to the SEC filing. Of those shares, 203,435 were acquired through a stock option exercise on July 13, 2020, the filing notes, while 471,565 were purchased by Ek on May 5, 2022 — a $50 million investment the CEO touted on Twitter that same day in a ploy to shore up investor confidence. The purchase occurred just a week after Spotify’s stock hit an all-time low of $95.74 following the company’s first quarter earnings report, which revealed slower-than-expected subscriber growth for the quarter and a disappointing projection for the second quarter.


“I’ve always been vocal about my strong belief in Spotify and what we’re building,” Ek tweeted at the time. “So I am putting that belief into action this week by investing $50M in $SPOT. I believe our best days are ahead…”


Spotify stock has rallied since then, closing at $144.52 on Thursday (a slight uptick from Tuesday, when it fell around 14% following the company’s second quarter earnings release). At that price, the 471,565 shares would have been worth around $68.2 million when Ek offloaded them — roughly $18 million more than what he purchased them for.


There’s no telling what Ek will use his earnings from the stock sale for, but the CEO — who became a billionaire following Spotify’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018 — previously pledged to give away a large portion of his fortune. In 2020, he said he would invest 1 billion euros ($1.085 billion at then-current exchange rates) of his personal wealth in European technology companies. Since then, he has made investments both as an individual and through Prima Materia, The European investment company he and Shakil Khan co-founded in 2021. On July 5, his Swedish health-tech company, Neko Health, raised 60 million euros ($65 million) from a group of outside investors led by Klaus Hommels‘ Lakestar.


In its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, Spotify reported an 11% uptick in revenue to €3.18 billion ($3.51 billion) thanks in part to a rise in monthly active users (MAUs) and growth in premium subscribers. The company said it added 10 million net new premium accounts and reported a 12% increase in ad-supported revenue for the quarter, while MAUs rose 27% to 551 million, including 220 million premium subscribers. Nonetheless, investors were downbeat about the latest earnings report, which showed a 27% rise in quarterly operating losses year-over-year. Spotify executives said those losses will improve in the fourth quarter of 2023 and beyond as the company is set to implement its newly-announced premium subscription price hike in September.

https://www.billboard.com/pro/spotify-ceo-daniel-ek-sells-100-million-company-stock/


July 2024
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  

About Us

Welcome to encircle News! We are a cutting-edge technology news company that is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in everything tech. From automobiles to drones, software to hardware, we’ve got you covered.

At encircle News, we believe that technology is more than just a tool, it’s a way of life. And we’re here to help you stay on top of all the latest trends and developments in this ever-evolving field. We know that technology is constantly changing, and that can be overwhelming, but we’re here to make it easy for you to keep up.

We’re a team of tech enthusiasts who are passionate about everything tech and love to share our knowledge with others. We believe that technology should be accessible to everyone, and we’re here to make sure it is. Our mission is to provide you with fun, engaging, and informative content that helps you to understand and embrace the latest technologies.

From the newest cars on the road to the latest drones taking to the skies, we’ve got you covered. We also dive deep into the world of software and hardware, bringing you the latest updates on everything from operating systems to processors.

So whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a business professional, or just someone who wants to stay up-to-date on the latest advancements in technology, encircle News is the place for you. Join us on this exciting journey and be a part of shaping the future.

Podcasts

TWiT 986: Our Dope GPS! – Supreme Court Decisions, Snapdragon X Elite Tests This Week in Tech (Audio)

Supreme Court Decisions, Snapdragon X Elite Tests Murthy Decision Should Not Foreclose Cases Against Actual First Amendment Violations What SCOTUS just did to broadband, the right to repair, the environment, and more Nearly 4,000 arrested in global police crackdown on online scam networks Mark Cuban's public email was hacked after receiving call from a fake Google rep The Julian Assange Saga Is Finally Over Microsoft's bundling of Office and Teams breaks antitrust law, EU says EU Competition Commissioner says Apple's decision to pull AI from EU shows anticompetitive behavior Microsoft says it's okay to steal content published on the web Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC is finally the best clamshell laptop on the market after 8 years of iterations Tested: Don't buy a Snapdragon X Elite laptop for PC gaming Signal 65 Snapdragon battery testing The RIAA's lawsuit against generative music startups will be the bloodbath AI needs Wherein The Copia Institute Asks The Second Circuit To Stand Up For Fair Use, The Internet Archive, And Why We Bother To Have Copyright Law At All Redbox's owner files for bankruptcy after repeatedly missing payments and payroll Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Cathy Gellis, Ryan Shrout, and Doc Rock Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: lookout.com 1password.com/twit
  1. TWiT 986: Our Dope GPS! – Supreme Court Decisions, Snapdragon X Elite Tests
  2. TWiT 985: TikTok With Wings – AT&T Landlines, US Bans Kaspersky and DJI
  3. TWiT 984: Fifty-three Clicks – Bot Farms in Ukraine, LA Public Health Dept. Phished
  4. TWiT 983: Digital Snackwells – NVIDIA's Thor, Adobe's TOS, Insta's Unskippable Ads
  5. TWiT 982: International Trash – Startup Chaos, Breaking Ticketmaster, Ultrasonic Coffee