GIANT FOOTSTEPS

AGE (1-10)

(Daniel Ek grew up in the Rågsved district of Stockholm, Sweden.)

(insert vids)

Ek has had a passion for technology since childhood. Daniel was raised by his stepfather, who worked in information technology. As a kid, Daniel Ek was already programming basic code while he listened to music. Daniel's passion for technology made him an early entrepreneur.

AGE 13

Ek's first foray into the business world began at age 13 when he started a business making websites for clients from his home. He charged the first client $100, but then charged the next client who asked $200. ... His earnings eventually reached $50,000 per month and by age 18 he was managing a team of 25.

IN HIGH SCHOOL

Ek has had a passion for technology since childhood. Daniel was raised by his stepfather, who worked in information technology. As a kid, Daniel Ek was already programming basic code while he listened to music.

Daniel’s passion for technology made him an early entrepreneur.

At age 14, Ek was making webpages in his high school computer room. He sold them for cheap. Making use of his leadership, he recruited his friends to help him and, with his small business, Daniel was earning $15,000 a month, which he mostly invested in video games. Later, he invested in servers where he hosted the webpages. This way, he increased his profits even more.

Not settling for this, at age 16, he tried to get hired at Google because he was obsessed with the platform’s speed. He was rejected because he didn’t have a diploma. So, he tried to create his own search engine, but his attempt was unsuccessful.

Ek graduated high school from IT-Gymnasiet (sv) in Sundbyberg in 2002

IN COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY

, and subsequently studied engineering at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology before dropping out to focus on his IT career.