On Tuesday, January 31, Spotify announced that the fourth quarter had gone "above expectations" and that paying subscribers reached just over 200 million.

Eight days earlier, the company shocked its employees by laying off six percent of its workforce, without any individual explanation. According to several former employees, they had seven days to sign the termination contract and hand in their things.

"It felt like crap. Why me?, says a former employee to SVT, who sought care after the dismissal, and continues:

"There were no indications that they would reduce staff.

Another points out that the timeline "was not a coincidence", and a third states that many were pressured to sign.

"They wanted to get as many people as possible to make an irrational decision.

Simultaneously hiring new

At the same time as around 600 are being laid off, of which about 100 in Sweden, Spotify is hiring new people – and the mood is angry among former employees:

"It wasn't about making money, but about showing good drive to the stock market.

In the termination agreement, the dismissed person was offered to be bought out of the company. Several people that SVT talked to negotiated better terms than they were initially offered. There are also examples of people who did not sign and continue to work at the company.

Daniel Ek: "Cash positive"

A few weeks before the mass layoffs, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reassured his employees that the company is "cash positive" and hinted that Spotify – unlike other tech companies – had no plans for layoffs.

Now the redundant workers are asking why other financial measures were not taken before they were terminated.

"Everyone on the board group is among the best paid in Sweden. It might not have made a difference, but they would have sent a good signal if they went down in salary," says a former employee.

Spotify declines an interview, but writes to Kulturnyheterna:

Spotify complied with all legal requirements and provided affected employees with a generous severance package and career support.

Javascript is disabled

Javascript must be turned on to play video

Learn more about browser support

Employment law expert Tommy Iseskog believes that Spotify is trying to silence former employees in termination contracts. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT