SPOTIFY GROWS IN LONDON

Spotify has added London to the list of places it has a major tech center, opening a Research and Development hub within its new office in the swanky Adelphi Building. The R&D center joins similar operations in the U.S. and Sweden.

Daniel Ek’s company plans to more than double its London staff this year to 550 from 260. The streaming service looks to hire across the fields of engineering, product, design, data, research and insights. Its move to Adelphi, which is located near the Strand, will allow it to expand its workforce in Blighty overall across 100k sq. ft. and five floors of office space. Spotify's wider London workforce, who currently work in Soho, will move over to the new space later in 2019.

Trumpeting the move, Spotify UK MD Tom Connaughton said, “The UK is famous all over the world for the musical talent that originates here and the strength of the music industry here. As one of Spotify’s biggest markets, it makes perfect sense to expand our team here, and to tap into the large and diverse talent pool to be found in London.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, made a pointed nod to Brexit: “London is the best place in Europe for tech companies to find a wealth of diverse talent. Spotify’s expansion is a further sign that London is open to ground-breaking technology.”