Intern who created Spotify's iconic Wrapped story concept issued warning after 'exposing' company

An intern who created Spotify's iconic Wrapped story concept has warned others to not ‘work corporate’.

This comes after a viral tweet caused the former intern’s 2020 posts to resurface, causing a stir on social media.

In recent years, Spotify Wrapped has become an unmissable online event to mark the end of the year, with the music subscription service offering its users an insight into their listening habits of the last 12 months.

However, back in 2020, artist Jewel Ham shocked the internet by revealing how Wrapped had developed from an email and a playlist to an interactive story within the app.

In a post published to X, formerly Twitter, Ham wrote: “i really invented the spotify wrapped story concept as an intern project in 2019 and they havent looked back since LMAO.”

In a follow up tweet, she added: “dont work corporate kids ;)”

This resurfaced yesterday (December 4) in a tweet by another user who wrote: “All you need to know about Spotify Wrapped: 1. It was a 2019 internship project. 2. The intern was never hired. 3. The intern was a black woman.”

To clarify, Spotify Wrapped first launched at the end of 2016, albeit it looked very different to the version we get today.

It was sent out as an email link where users could find a playlist of their most listened to music of the year.

Now though, Wrapped has become a fun social media event where the data pops up within the app and is shareable across various platforms.

In 2020, Ham also shared images of her original design concepts for Wrapped, going on to add: “to clarify, for those of yall unfamiliar with #SpotifyWrapped - it used to be an email and a playlist. since 2019, it has become an interactive user experience and that right there - was my idea!”

With a lot of people just finding out its origins, this has caused many to take to social media to share their own reactions, with one user writing on Reddit: “I've worked as a photographer, designer, and writer for several companies and never owned a single thing I created. That's why companies hire creative people: to generate good content on behalf of the company.”

Another said: “Don't come up with good ideas as an intern. You won't get paid for those ideas and they'll probably make the company a ton of money when you gone.”

And a third person added: “She's right about one thing: Don't work corporate if you don't understand how it goes. Any work you do for the company belongs to the company. Especially if you are an intern. I don't know what she was expecting to happen tbh. Put it on your CV and in your portfolio and keep moving up.”

UNILAD Tech has contacted Spotify for comment.