Alexander Ljung is more than just a tech entrepreneur he is a visionary who completely transformed how the world discovers and shares music. With an estimated net worth of $50 million, Ljung is best known as the co-founder and longtime CEO of SoundCloud, a platform that empowered independent artists to distribute their music to a global audience without needing a record label.
From living in Stockholm with a dream to fusing creativity and technology, to taking SoundCloud from a small Berlin startup to one of the most recognizable audio platforms in the world, his journey reflects resilience, innovation, and a true love for music culture. Even after stepping down as CEO in 2017, Ljung has continued to shape the creative tech space by investing in startups and building ventures that support artists and creators.
Below, let’s dive deep into his story his early life, the founding of SoundCloud, the rise, challenges, and evolution of the platform, and Ljung’s continued role as a trailblazer in media and technology.
Alexander Ljung was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, in a city that thrives on design, culture, and innovation. From an early age, he was fascinated by the two things that would define his career: music and technology. Instead of choosing one over the other, he found ways to merge them.
He studied engineering with a focus on media technology at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. It was here that Ljung honed his technical abilities while staying closely connected to his creative instincts. During this time, he crossed paths with Eric Wahlforss, another musician and technologist who shared a similar vision. Their bond over sound and technology would later spark one of the most important digital platforms in music history.
For Ljung, music wasn’t just entertainment it was a language of creativity that deserved to be democratized. He saw a gap between musicians and the audiences who wanted to discover them, and he wanted to build a bridge to connect the two worlds.
Founding SoundCloud: A Startup That Changed Music Forever
In 2007, Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss packed up their ideas and moved to Berlin, Germany, a city known for its buzzing creative energy and underground music scene. There, they launched what would eventually become SoundCloud.
The idea was refreshingly simple: allow musicians to upload, share, and collaborate on audio as easily as one could share a photo or video online. What made SoundCloud unique was its community-driven model listeners could leave time-stamped comments directly on tracks, giving artists feedback and creating a sense of collaboration rarely seen in other platforms.
This innovation made SoundCloud incredibly appealing to independent artists, DJs, and producers who were searching for alternatives to the rigid music industry structures. Soon, the platform became a cultural home for underground genres like trap, lo-fi hip hop, and bedroom pop. Artists such as Chance the Rapper, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone would later credit SoundCloud as the place where their careers first gained momentum.
By the mid-2010s, SoundCloud had grown into one of the largest and most vibrant online music communities, with over 175 million monthly users. Ljung’s vision had created more than a company it had sparked a cultural revolution.
Growth, Challenges, and the Financial Rollercoaster
While SoundCloud quickly became a household name among music lovers and creators, its journey wasn’t always smooth. Building a platform of that scale required enormous resources, and balancing innovation with financial stability proved to be one of Ljung’s greatest challenges.
Over the years, SoundCloud went through multiple rounds of funding:
2009: Raised €2.5 million in its seed round.
2011: Secured $10 million from Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures.
2012: Closed a $50 million Series C led by Kleiner Perkins.
2014: A $60 million investment valued the company at around $700 million.
2016: Twitter invested nearly $70 million to support the platform.
2017: Faced near-collapse until Raine Group and Temasek stepped in with $169.5 million in emergency funding.
2020: SiriusXM invested $75 million, giving SoundCloud a new chapter of growth.
Despite the rollercoaster, one thing remained constant: SoundCloud’s cultural importance. It wasn’t Spotify, it wasn’t Apple Music it was something more grassroots, more authentic, and more creator-first.
In 2017, Ljung made the tough decision to step down as CEO. Although it marked the end of his operational role, his influence was deeply embedded in the DNA of SoundCloud. He continued as chairman of the board, ensuring that the platform’s creative mission stayed alive.
Beyond SoundCloud: Building the Future of Creative Tech
Leaving the CEO position didn’t slow Alexander Ljung down. If anything, it gave him the space to branch out into new ventures while continuing his mission of empowering artists and creatives.
He co-founded Pex, a platform designed to protect creators’ rights by tracking and monetizing digital content across platforms. The idea reflected his ongoing dedication to ensuring that the internet remains a place where creators not only get exposure but also fair recognition and compensation.
Ljung also became an advisor and investor in various startups that sit at the intersection of music, technology, and culture. His focus remains on supporting creativity in the digital era, helping shape businesses that give power back to the creators rather than gatekeepers.
To this day, Alexander Ljung is seen as one of the thought leaders in digital innovation, admired not just for his entrepreneurial success but for his ability to reimagine how technology can be used to fuel creative expression.
Legacy and Net Worth
With a net worth of $50 million, Alexander Ljung’s wealth reflects not just financial success but the massive cultural impact he has had on the music industry. Through SoundCloud, he provided millions of artists with opportunities they would never have found through traditional labels. He inspired new genres, launched global stars, and reminded the world that music belongs to everyone not just corporations.
But perhaps the most remarkable part of his story is his dedication to creators. Whether through SoundCloud, Pex, or future ventures, Ljung’s legacy is about opening doors, breaking down barriers, and ensuring that technology works for creativity, not against it.