Tag: HR blog

By Michaela Osofsky

Each year, we welcome a cohort of ambitious interns to step into the rhythm of summer at Spotify! Each internship spot offers the new band members the opportunity to contribute to Spotify’s success and to grow, reflect, and connect in ways that shape the course of their professional journeys. This is more than an internship – it’s the start of their career.

We fill the spots through a rigorous, intentional interview process in collaboration with our talent acquisition team and the hiring team. It’s designed to align top emerging talent with our long-term workforce plans. These roles are carefully tied to areas of future growth in the business, with the belief (and hope!) that interns can become vital contributors, whether immediately after the program or when the right role arises in the future. Using this approach, we build a strong pipeline of emerging talent, connected to the needs of our company. Interns contribute fresh perspectives and skills from day one, while the program strives to unlock their potential and invest in their development. All of this helps to advance our goals by cultivating career affirming experiences that shape future careers.

At the core of this journey lie our big picture learning objectives. These objectives center on two powerful themes: career and connection.

We believe that career growth is more than skill-building; it’s about ownership, insight, and the confidence that comes from doing meaningful work. Our interns dive headfirst into their roles, leading summer-long projects, sharpening practical skills, and developing a deeper sense of self through thoughtful feedback and reflection.

Equally vital to the intern experience is connection which includes gaining a deeper understanding of who we are as a company, including where we’ve been, what we believe in, and where we’re headed. Interns are immersed in Spotify’s rich history and bold business strategy, learning how our past innovations shape our future direction. Along the way, they build a professional network of peers, mentors, and leaders that provides perspective and support well beyond their summer with us.

Together, these elements create a holistic, immersive program experience, one that empowers our interns to see not just what they can do, but who they can become in this new age of working.

Orchestrating a Purposeful Internship Experience

We design our internship experience to blend skill-building, connection, and future-focused learning into a program that’s as thoughtful as it is impactful. Interns begin their journey with a strong onboarding experience that introduces them to the tools, systems, and context they need to dive in with confidence. From there, they explore the inner workings of the Spotify business gaining perspective on our history, strategy, and the collaborative efforts that fuel innovation across teams. As they grow into their roles, we meet them where they are, offering targeted opportunities to sharpen technical and professional skills that align with their goals. And woven throughout it all is a strong sense of connection through cultural events, shared experiences, and, of course, some fun along the way. By the end of summer, interns build relationships that enrich their experience and expand their network for the future.

Learning is the Key of Innovation

This year, we’ve introduced new layers to the program that reflect the future of work with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) education that encourages interns to think beyond the basics and imagine what’s next.

Every intern receives access to company wide AI tools & trainings, providing a foundational understanding of how the technology is reshaping industries, workflows, and the future of work. Engineering interns take it a step further with ML Foundations, getting hands-on with concepts that fuel real-time innovation.

And as a major highlight, we’ve orchestrated an AI for the Product Experience event. This is an immersive look at how Spotify leverages machine learning to personalise, predict, and power our products. It’s an invitation to see AI as a core part of our sound.

As our interns grow through hands-on experience, connection, and future-focused learning, they’re not just contributing to Spotify’s present, they’re helping shape our future. This program is more than a summer opportunity; it’s a vital part of our talent pipeline, building a strong bench of future leaders, innovators, and collaborators who are already tuned in to the strategy of what’s next. This summer, we’ve welcomed 99 incredible interns to our Stockholm, London, and New York City offices, and we can’t wait for them to experience all we have in store.

By Alexander Westerdahl, HR Unit Lead, Product and Technology

At Spotify, we’ve always believed that our greatest hits come from the people behind the scenes – the bandmates who dream big, take smart risks, and drive us forward. Therefore, as we continue to evolve, so must our approach to developing the talent that shapes the future of Spotify.

Our belief is that everyone is a talent – we believe in a growth mindset where all band members have the ability and get the opportunity to develop to be their best. We have an array of development opportunities for all talent – individuals, teams, and leaders.

In our quest to develop talent in all stages of their career, this year we are honing in on our leaders that we believe have the potential to step into our executive leadership team in the future. And we want to do this in a way that is truly Spotify rather than taking a cookie-cutter approach. That’s why we’re building The Spotify Program – a new, thoughtfully designed development experience created specifically for this select group of senior bandmates. It’s more than just a training program. It’s an investment in our people and Spotify’s future, built on the idea that growing from within is not only possible – it’s essential, and our company’s success depends on it.

Designed for Today, Built for Tomorrow

The Spotify Program is part of our broader commitment to nurturing homegrown talent. We want band members to see a future here – and not just any future, but one they’re excited to build. Whether it’s stepping into new roles, taking on stretch projects, or deepening their leadership craft, we’re here to support that growth. What makes this program unique for us is the full commitment of our executive team in being part of leading and creating the program, partnered with the fact that it’s designed for those who may one day lead the company – not just as functional experts, but as enterprise-wide, strategic leaders.

Being Chosen — and Staying Inclusive

Let’s be real – being selected for a development program like this is a big deal – it’s a recognition of potential, of contribution, and of readiness for the next step. However, we’re also aware that with selection comes another side of the coin: the risk of others feeling left out.

As mentioned, at Spotify, we believe that everyone is a talent. This program is just one of many ways we support growth, and it’s not the only path to leadership or career development. It’s important to us – and to all leaders – to communicate that clearly.

Programs like this should open doors, not close them. And the real success of The Spotify Program will be measured not just by how well this cohort develops, but also by how we continue to foster a culture of learning, opportunity, and inclusion for all bandmates – everywhere, all the time.

The Spotify Program?

The Spotify Program goes beyond conventional leadership development – it’s rooted in the belief that the best way to prepare our future leaders is by learning from those already steering the ship. That’s why the program is anchored in the Spotify context, led by our executive team, and centered around the real challenges we face. It’s made up of four core components – each intentionally designed to help participants grow as business leaders in the Spotify context:

1. Modular Learning

Each module focuses on a theme that reflects the real, evolving needs of leaders at Spotify. From business theory, leadership and emerging markets to understanding complexity, strategic thinking and cross-functional collaboration. We’re not just checking boxes – we’re preparing our leaders to thrive in the complexities of our business. In each module our CEO, co-presidents and/or other executives share their knowledge and experience.It’s a high touch program with 100% investment from our most senior leaders.

2. Learning Through Real Spotify Cases

Much like an apprentice learning from a master carpenter, our participants study Spotify-specific cases – the good, the great, and the ones with valuable lessons. These aren’t theoretical. They’re real decisions, dilemmas, and outcomes from our own story. And halfway through the program, participants will apply what they’ve learned by leading a current project with real business impact. It’s learning by doing, the Spotify way.

3. Executive Coaching

Each participant is matched with an executive coach who walks alongside them throughout the journey. Because we know that personal growth isn’t just about frameworks – it’s about reflection, feedback, and someone asking the right questions at the right time.

4. Stakeholder Understanding

Leadership at Spotify means seeing the full picture. That’s why we spend time deeply exploring the stakeholders we serve and partner with – users, creators, labels, advertisers, and more. We push beyond the data to understand what truly matters to them, and in doing so, become better leaders of our product, our business, and our culture.

It’s Bigger Than Just One Program

This initiative is just one of many ways we’re investing in our people’s growth. Whether a bandmate is part of this current program, future versions of the program, or engaged in any of our other development experiences across the company, they should know this: growth at Spotify isn’t a side note. It’s a headline.

And when it comes to building the next generation of company leadership, we’re not leaving it to chance – we’re building it from within.