'The rule I have with Mark is...': Spotify CEO Daniel Ek on his 16-year friendship with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has shared insights into his long-standing friendship with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, a relationship that has spanned 16 years as both of their companies have grown into multibillion-dollar tech giants. Despite their close bond, Ek has drawn a firm boundary when it comes to one area of their friendship—sports.

Zuckerberg, who has embraced mixed martial arts (MMA) and surfing in recent years, has found a renewed sense of purpose through these physical pursuits. However, Ek has been careful not to turn these activities into a shared hobby, citing their mutual competitiveness and a strong aversion to losing.

"The rule I have with Mark is I don’t try to go into a competition with him because I know it’ll end badly for both of us," Ek revealed on the Acquired podcast. He added that he prefers to avoid sports with Zuckerberg after witnessing how intense things can get, recalling an incident where Zuckerberg tore his ACL during MMA training last year. "I like playing when I know I’ll win, so I think it’s a pretty good thing not to do that," Ek joked.

A Friendship Forged in Tech

The two first crossed paths at a barbecue in 2008, introduced by Sean Parker, an early player in both Facebook and Spotify. Their connection quickly grew as they brainstormed ways to integrate Facebook’s social features into Spotify, which at the time was operating on an invite-only model to generate exclusivity—mirroring Facebook’s early growth strategy.

Throughout the years, Ek has credited Zuckerberg with influencing his leadership style. Ek describes Zuckerberg as the best learner he’s ever encountered, often diving deep into subjects and mastering them quickly. “You can have a conversation with him about a topic, and the next time, he knows more than most experts,” Ek said.

Zuckerberg's approach to meetings has also impacted Ek. While Zuckerberg typically hosts large gatherings of 15 to 20 people, Ek’s Swedish background has led him to adopt a more Scandinavian leadership style, emphasising delegation and shared responsibility. "I’m probably the least powerful person at Spotify because of how I delegate," Ek noted.

The Evolution of Zuckerberg: Mark 3.0

Reflecting on Zuckerberg’s transformation over the years, Ek said the world has met three versions of the Meta CEO. The first, "Social Network–era Mark," references the somewhat controversial portrayal of Zuckerberg in the 2010 Oscar-winning movie *The Social Network*. Then came "Cambridge Analytica Mark," or "Evil Mark," following Facebook's data privacy scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, which significantly damaged Zuckerberg’s reputation.

Now, Ek says, we are seeing "Mark 3.0"—a version of Zuckerberg who has rediscovered his drive, bolstered by his athletic ventures and a renewed sense of responsibility as the leader of a massive global platform. "He’s learned a lot over the past few years, and he’s got a new fire in his belly," Ek said. “But there’s still some of the old Mark, where he bets on things even when everyone tells him, ‘This is never gonna work.’”