Many Spotify music lovers look forward to the end of the year because they receive a personalized gift — their Spotify Wrapped. But it may be time to switch to another music streaming platform considering the company’s behind-the-scenes work.
Investing in AI defense technology, allowing AI music and running U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ads may not be what users want to support.
Spotify is a global audio streaming service that offers millions of songs, audiobooks and podcasts. In late November or early December, the app releases Spotify Wrapped, which is a year-in-review report of a user’s listening habits. It includes how many minutes listened, top five artists, top five songs and more.
Launched in 2007, it is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service. It has more than 713 million users, 281 million of which are subscribers to the premium version.
With such large numbers with such widespread popularity, we should be aware of what kind of company we are supporting.
There has been controversy regarding Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s funding of the AI weapons firm, Helsing. Ek invested nearly $700 million into the European defense technology startup through his venture capital firm, Prima Materia.
Helsing develops military strike drones and provides AI-enabled precision mass and autonomous systems, similar to what is being used in the war between Israel and Palestine. Its website claims that it uses AI to develop militarily systems to “protect our democratic values and open societies.”
This investment has major risks as defense technology poses many ethical concerns. AI systems are not completely accurate, which is extremely dangerous when it comes to warfare and civilians’ lives.
Involuntary or not, each Spotify user is supporting the choices that Ek makes as a billionaire. It is something to consider the next time that late-night Friday playlist is on.
Another controversial issue with the streaming service is its allowance for AI-generated music. AI is slowly infiltrating our daily lives, reaping more potentially negative consequences.
The anticipated exponential growth of generative AI is impressive, but it is predicted to negatively impact music creators. By 2028, artists are expected to see a 24 percent loss in their revenues, which will amount to over $10 billion. It is also projected that generated AI music will make up 20 percent of music streaming platforms’ revenues.
Many people have strong opinions towards the use of AI in creative spaces, making it important to evaluate when consuming artistic content.
Not only is the music available on the service itself a topic of dispute, but so are the ads.
In October 2025, Spotify began running ICE recruitment ads, which sparked debate and boycotts from users. The ads encouraged listeners to apply to work for ICE to help execute President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Videos have circulated online of the agency using aggressive tactics on immigrants, protestors and bystanders.
In response to the widespread backlash, Spotify released a statement explaining that the ads did not violate their advertising policies and that users have the ability to manage their ad preferences. The platform is still running the ICE advertisements.
However, many people went ahead and took action themselves. The “Spotify Unwrapped” campaign protests Spotify running ICE recruitment ads and provides downloadable graphics that users can share on social media.
Indivisible Project and 50501 Movement — organizations involved in the nationwide “No Kings” protests — helped launch the Spotify Unwrapped campaign. The project’s goal is to raise awareness about the company’s issues and practices.
As a beloved streaming platform that offers customization and curated content, it might be challenging to consider other services to use instead. It comes down to what people are willing to ignore in order to support a company.
Spotify Wrapped is the highlight of the platform, but is it time to wrap up Spotify?
This story was written by Rachel Lopera. She can be reached at @[email protected]
