Gustav Söderström, the Co-President and Chief Product Officer at Spotify, shares insights from his impressive career, including building innovative products and navigating challenges. He discusses Spotify's structural evolution for product development and how AI is transforming the music landscape. Gustav highlights the delicate balance between user feedback and innovation during the redesign of Spotify's feed. He also explores the impact of AI-generated music on artists and muses about the future of podcasting at Spotify.

Gustav Söderström has worked at Spotify for a long time; his first big project was leading the launch of its mobile app back in 2009. That makes him the perfect company leader to talk to about Spotify’s recent redesign, which introduces a visual, TikTok-like feed for discovering new content on the app’s homepage. As his boss CEO Daniel Ek put it last week, it’s “the biggest change Spotify has undergone since we introduced mobile.”With the title of co-president and chief product and technology officer, Söderström is responsible for not only how Spotify looks and feels but also all the AI work happening behind the scenes to power its increasingly important recommendations. According to Söderström, it turns out that improving those recommendations is actually at the heart of the big redesign. “I think companies that don’t have an efficient user interface for a machine learning world are not going to be able to leverage machine learning,” he told Alex Heath on the newest episode of Decoder.Links:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NapsterSpotify is laying off 6 percent of its global workforce, CEO announcesSpotify’s new design turns your music and podcasts into a TikTok feedAlex Heath's TweetFunctional versus Unit OrganizationsTwo-Pizza TeamsTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23402123Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gustav Söderström, Spotify’s Chief Research & Development Officer, shares insights from his impressive journey in tech and entrepreneurship, including selling startups to Meta and Yahoo. He discusses the importance of recognizing and adapting to 'macro winds' in the industry. Gustav emphasizes a unique approach: competing by doing something entirely different. He also reflects on the balance of passion and science in product development, urging teams to focus on action over words. His experiences reveal vital lessons in leadership and innovation, especially in the ever-evolving music tech landscape.

Join Gustav Söderström from Spotify, Scott Belsky from Adobe, and Tomer Cohen from LinkedIn as they explore how AI is reshaping product design and development. They discuss why AI has become the central product, the evolving role of user interfaces, and the shift in workforce dynamics required in an AI-first world. The trio debates the balance between model diversity and data quality, while also touching on the ethical considerations of AI usage. Emphasizing the opportunities AI presents, they highlight the necessity for continuous learning in adapting to this new landscape.

Gustav Söderström, Co-President, CPO & CTO of Spotify, discusses building UX for efficient AI, the future of AGI, AI's impact on media creation, and the automation of cognitive labor. They explore the power of user-curated data, blockchain in content ownership, and the limitations of anthropomorphizing AI. They also delve into AGI, reasoning, intelligence, action models, and the risks and possibilities of AI and agents.

Gustav Söderström, Spotify's co-president and tech guru, dives into the transformative role of AI in music and podcasts. He discusses Spotify's exciting vision for AI-generated content, highlighting how it can enhance listener discovery without overriding human creativity. The conversation explores strategies for integrating podcasts and audiobooks, making user experiences more cohesive. Gustav also addresses the challenges of podcast discoverability, emphasizing the balance between algorithm-driven recommendations and genuine human connection.

Gustav Söderström, Spotify's Co-president and chief product officer, shares insights into the platform's evolution beyond music, tackling audiobooks and user experience challenges. He discusses the balance between AI-driven recommendations and keeping the core music experience intact. Meanwhile, technology journalist Alex Cranz delves into Disney's strategy of merging Hulu and Disney Plus, emphasizing branding dilemmas and the competitive landscape of streaming. Together, they explore the future of media and the push towards all-in-one apps.

Music is universal. It transcends language. Melodies have the power to trigger strong emotions. In fact, our brains release dopamine - the “feel good” hormone - when we listen to music. Today’s guest, Spotify’s Chief R&D Officer Gustav Söderström, has been helping to bring the magic of music, personalized playlists, and more recently, podcasts to people around the world. He’s also led the platform to personalize individual content experiences with the help of artificial intelligence. Pieter and Gustav discuss the platform’s early approach to AI & ML, how he wants to help content creators reach more listeners and the technological details of Spotify’s ability to automatically generate millions of new playlists every day. SUBSCRIBE TO THE ROBOT BRAINS PODCAST TODAY | Visit therobotbrains.ai and follow us on YouTube at TheRobotBrainsPodcast, Twitter @therobotbrains, and Instagram @therobotbrains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining the discussion is Gustav Söderström, Co-President, CPO & CTO of Spotify, who reveals how Spotify has become a leader in AI-powered personalized music recommendations. He dives into the philosophy behind building user interfaces designed for AI efficiency. Topics include the implications of AI on media creation, the automation of cognitive tasks, and the potential of AGI on the horizon. Gustav also reflects on how anthropomorphizing AI can help users grasp its capabilities while considering the risks and benefits of these advancements.

Gustav Söderström, Spotify's Co-President, shares insights on Spotify's evolution, long-term bets, and the value of explanations. He discusses AI's role in personalized playlists, adapting music based on heart rate, and AI agents simplifying user experiences. Additionally, he delves into adaptability in tech, decision-making, and balancing design and distribution advantages.