In today’s Digest, we cover Spotify’s CEO exit bringing dual leadership, Epic saying Apple’s install changes slash drop-offs, and The Trade Desk overhauling its digital ad data marketplace.

Spotify CEO exit brings dual leadership

Spotify will enter 2025 under new leadership as co-founder Daniel Ek steps down as CEO in January 2026, moving into the role of executive chairman. The streaming platform will shift to a dual-CEO model, elevating Gustav Söderström (chief product & technology officer) and Alex Norström (chief business officer) to jointly lead the company. Both have served as co-presidents since 2023.

The shakeup comes as Spotify navigates a mixed outlook. The company reported a net loss of about $100m (£74m) in the second quarter of the year, despite adding subscribers. Spotify now joins peers including Oracle, Netflix, and Comcast in adopting the co-CEO model, a structure that proponents say fosters innovation but which critics argue can muddy accountability.

Epic says Apple’s install changes slash drop-offs

Epic Games has reported a major boost in user engagement after Apple simplified the process for installing third-party app stores in iOS 18.6, cutting user drop-offs by 60%. Epic games said that before the update, 65% of users abandoned attempts to install its game store. That figure has now fallen to 25%, in line with installation rates on Windows and macOS. The company hailed the shift as a step toward fairer access and greater competition in digital marketplaces.

The Trade Desk overhauls digital ad data marketplace

The Trade Desk has launched Audience Unlimited, an upgrade to its third-party data marketplace designed to make digital advertising more efficient. Audience Unlimited tackles the barrier of third-party data being viewed as costly and difficult to measure, by using AI to evaluate and score thousands of data segments from trusted providers, then bundling data at a fixed rate, removing the unpredictability of a la carte pricing.

To power the rollout, The Trade Desk is also debuting Koa Adaptive Trading Modes, offering advertisers two ways to run campaigns: Performance Mode and Control Mode.

Chief strategy officer Samantha Jacobson said, “Audience Unlimited is going to transform the way marketers think about the value and cost of third-party data. Brands that leverage third-party data to optimise their campaigns consistently see significantly improved performance.”