Spotify offers President Obama a job post-White House

After he leaves the White House, President Obama plans to work with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and to write a book.

But during a recent conversation with former Swedish ambassador Mark Brzezinski at the White House, Obama said, "I'm still waiting for my job at Spotify … 'Cause I know y'all loved my playlist," according to Brzezinski's wife.

>> Obama says he'll write a book and 'be quiet for a while' after White House exit

After hearing about Obama's joke, Spotify responded by creating a job specifically for him and posting it on its careers page.

The position is for "president of the playlists," and it has some distinct requirements, including having "at least eight years experience running a highly regarded nation" and "someone with good team spirit, excellent work ethic, a friendly and warm attitude and a Nobel Peace Prize."

The company's CEO, Daniel Ek, notified Obama via Twitter of the job posting, writing: "Hey @BarackObama, I heard you were interested in a role at Spotify. Have you seen this one?"

Here are the listed qualifications:

  • Have at least eight years' experience running a highly regarded nation.
  • Familiarity with the Spotify platform, with experience in programming playlists at a federal level, anything from an eclectic summer playlist to a celebratory "I just found my birth certificate" playlist.
  • Have good relationships with a wide range of artists and musicians.
  • Can speak passionately about playlists at press events.
  • A keen attention to detail and consistency. Able to work closely with other departments so playlists can hold up to public scrutiny.
  • Someone with good team spirit, excellent work ethic, a friendly and warm attitude, and a Nobel Peace Prize.

And here are some of the position's duties:

  • Provide world-class leadership to our playlist editors and supporting staff.
  • Identify and substantiate new playlist ideas, e.g., from a playlist for shooting hoops with your friends, to the perfect warm-up playlist for addressing the nation about health care legislation that bears your name.
  • Analyze data and performance of playlists in a clear and transparent manner using all available intelligence. Attend daily briefings.

Obama has been sharing his personal Spotify playlists since 2015.

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