What Spotify’s Layoffs Tell Us About the Future of Work

Amanda Claypool
7 min readDec 18, 2023
Photo by sgcdesignco on Unsplash

Earlier this month, Spotify announced a massive reduction in its workforce to the tune of 17%. This is Spotify’s third round of layoffs this year alone.

While this shouldn’t come as a surprise given the recent number of layoffs in the tech sector, what is surprising is that this round of layoffs came after Spotify posted its first profitable quarter since 2021.

When business is booming, employers should be retaining workers, right?

Not necessarily.

One look at a company’s business model will tell you everything you need to know about how viable employment is with that company. Unfortunately, most of the business models that have proliferated in tech aren’t conducive to stable, long-term employment.

This essay is going to analyze statements made by Spotify’s CEO that justify the company’s posture on its workforce. It reveals how C Suite executives are thinking about the future of work and how this will likely shape other sectors of the economy in the years ahead.

Tech has long had more workers than it needs. This has created an illusory bubble around the employment opportunities it offers.

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Amanda Claypool
Amanda Claypool

Written by Amanda Claypool

I write about the future of the world as it’s unfolding. Download my reading list: https://bit.ly/3xvJZf6