Spotify has given a vote of confidence to the digital economy in London by revealing plans to build its latest R&D hub in the UK capital and employing hundreds of extra workers.
The company, which is set for an IPO, has announced it is seeking to recruit talent across all functions in engineering, product, design, data, research and insights as it continues to build its subscriber base. The initial recruitment focus will be on engineering, machine learning, data and leadership.
London will join Spotify’s existing R&D hubs in Stockholm, Gothenburg, New York, San Francisco, and Boston.
“London has made the decision of where to grow our next R&D hub an extremely easy one. It has a vibrant start-up community, and a wealth of great tech talent, making it the perfect location in which to build out our talented R&D team,” said Jason Richman, VP product at Spotify. “London will be one of our major hubs where we’ll house key investment areas including expansion of our subscription-commerce capabilities."
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is the best place in the world for ambitious businesses looking to expand and our technology sector continues to go from strength to strength. Spotify is the latest in a long line of companies who realise that London simply cannot be beaten for innovation, with a deep pool of tech talent and a complex business ecosystem that can’t be replicated anywhere else.”
Google, Apple and Facebook have also confirmed they will continue to invest in the UK despite the Brexit vote.
Spotify has expanded into podcasts as well as staging songwriting camps and an urban playlisted-themed concert at Alexandra Palace with J Hus, Bugzy Malone and Cardi B later this month.
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