I know they're doing cool stuff, but come on, Google have about the same amount of steps and you get better job security and a more exciting place to work at with an actual future. Most developers won't go through this kind of hassle, there are equally as cool places to work with less resistance. When you've got food to put on the table and a family to provide for, this kind of process is just not feasible.
It seems like a massive amount of work to make a developer go through. Is this the new norm or something? When I started programming you'd go through a couple of interviews and if they liked you, you'd be offered a job on the basis of a 3 month parole period where either party can terminate the employment without notice or needing to pay anything out. Whatever happened to that approach?
As it currently stands Spotify are operating in the black, they're not making profit, they're fighting an uphill battle with music licencing fees and bad publicity from artists who claim Spotify don't offer them a good enough deal. It seems as though the future of Spotify is still unknown. All it would take to bring the company down is another fee increase or for a couple of labels to walk away. Not to mention the fierce competition in the form of Rdio and Beats Music hot on their heels.
