LikeSweden: Beyond the Postcard

Karolina Pikus
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to LikeSweden! We look beyond the red wooden houses and fika to explore the real Sweden. Join us for deep dives into the country's fascinating history, complex social issues, and the everyday reality of navigating the Swedish system. We explore a wide range of topics—from pop culture to legal changes and society—alongside honest conversations with the people who call Scandinavia home. Whether you’re an expat, planning a move, or simply curious about modern Sweden, tune in to discover the true culture and reality of the North.

Episodes

  1. MAR 27

    Sweden’s nuclear comeback - Why the country reversed its energy policy

    For decades, Sweden was known for its long political hesitation around nuclear energy, shaped by the 1980 referendum and the promise of a full phase-out. But today, that old approach is being replaced by something very different. Nuclear is now being presented as a key part of Sweden’s fossil-free future, its industrial competitiveness, and even its national security. So what changed? In this episode, we break down why Sweden is moving back toward nuclear power, how green steel and electrification are driving huge new electricity demand, why the war in Ukraine and NATO membership changed the energy debate, and how the government is trying to make new reactors financially and legally possible. We also talk about SMRs, uranium mining, public opinion, political divisions, and the biggest risks that could still slow this whole strategy down. If you want to understand where Sweden is heading, and why this debate matters far beyond Sweden itself, this episode will give you the full picture. Topics in this episode:• Sweden nuclear power policy• Why Sweden changed its mind about nuclear energy• Green steel and electricity demand• Energy security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine• NATO and Swedish infrastructure strategy• SMRs in Sweden• Uranium mining debate• The future of fossil-free industry in Sweden

    26 min

  2. MAR 12

    How Sweden accidentally created Minecraft (and the billionaire who walked away)

    Minecraft started as a small experiment posted on an indie forum in 2009. Today it is the best-selling video game in history, a $2.5 billion acquisition, a platform used in schools, a cornerstone of YouTube gaming, and a cultural phenomenon that shaped an entire generation. But the story behind Minecraft is far more complex than most people realise.In this episode we explore: ✅ how Sweden’s 1990s financial crisis helped create one of the strongest tech ecosystems in the world ✅ why government programs like the Home PC Reform put computers into hundreds of thousands of homes ✅ how underground hacker culture and the demoscene trained a generation of elite programmers ✅ how YouTube creators turned a sandbox game into a global movement ✅ and what happened to Markus “Notch” Persson after selling Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. Because this isn’t just the story of a game. It’s the story of how Sweden accidentally built the perfect environment for a digital revolution… and what happens when a hobby project becomes bigger than its creator. Resources & Links: 👉 Read the full transcript on the blog: https://likesweden.com/podcast/how-sweden-accidentally-created-minecraft-and-the-billionaire-who-walked-away/ 👉 Follow on IG: https://instagram.com/likeswedencom 👉 Collect free e-books about Sweden: https://likesweden.com/newsletter Chapters: 00:00 - Opening 1:55 - The Soil of Innovation: Sweden’s IT Landscape 9:16 - The Architect’s Beginning: The Early Life of Markus Persson 15:26 - The Incubation of a Phenomenon: From Cave Game to Minecraft 20:40 - Scaling the Block: The Formation of Mojang 23:36 - The YouTube Explosion and Cultural Impact 29:51 - The Burden of Leadership and the Transition of Power 35:41 - The Golden Cage: Wealth, Isolation, and Cultural Conflict 40:06 - Conclusion 42:47 - Ending

    43 min

  3. MAR 5

    The city that sold itself for $1? Malmö’s Reinvention (and its dark side)

    For more than a century, Malmö was built around one thing: ships. The Kockums shipyard wasn’t just an employer. It was the city’s identity, its pride, and its economic engine. And then it collapsed. In the early 1990s, Malmö hit rock bottom: tens of thousands of jobs disappeared, young people left, and the city’s future looked bleak. And in 2002, Malmö’s most iconic industrial symbol, the Kockums crane, was sold and dismantled for exactly $1. But that was only the end of one Malmö. In this episode of LikeSweden: Beyond the Postcard, we break down how Malmö reinvented itself through a long-term vision, bold infrastructure projects, and a shift into a knowledge economy. We also look at the part of the story that often gets skipped: the growing divide between the “new Malmö” and the neighborhoods left behind. ✅ The $1 crane moment: Why selling the Kockums crane became a symbol of industrial defeat, and what it meant emotionally for the city. ✅ The blueprint for survival: How Malmö used a university, the Øresund Bridge, and the Western Harbour transformation to rebuild the city’s foundation. ✅ The Turning Torso effect: How a new landmark helped Malmö replace its industrial identity with a future-facing narrative. ✅ Startups and the new economy: How Malmö built an innovation ecosystem through platforms like Minc and Media Evolution City, and why community matters as much as infrastructure. ✅ The gaming boom: How Malmö became a Nordic gaming powerhouse, with global studios and a growing talent pipeline. ✅ The dual city problem: Why Malmö’s success story is incomplete without Rosengård, segregation, and the risk of creating new inequality through “regeneration.” Resources & Links:👉 Read the full transcript on the blog: https://likesweden.com/podcast/the-city-that-sold-itself-for-1-malmos-reinvention-and-its-dark-side/ 👉 Follow on IG: https://instagram.com/likeswedencom 👉 Collect free e-books about Sweden: https://likesweden.com/newsletter Chapters: 00:00 - Opening 01:06- Malmö before the collapse: Kockums and the shipyard era 09:35 - The oil crisis and the fall of Swedish shipbuilding 13:19 - The $1 crane and the psychological turning point 15:08 - Part 2: The survival blueprint (university, bridge, Western Harbour) 27:10 - Part 3: Startups, Minc, and Media Evolution City 39:37 - Part 4: The dual city, Rosengård, and segregation 49:53 - Final takeaway: what the Malmö Model really teaches 52:35 - Outro

    53 min

  4. FEB 26

    Who gets left behind? The hidden costs of Sweden’s 2026 citizenship reform

    The legislative proposal unveiled by the Swedish government this February marks a true watershed moment for Scandinavian migration history. Under this new restrictive model, citizenship is no longer viewed as a stepping stone to help you integrate; it is explicitly framed as a "reward". But beyond the political headlines and the new 8-year waiting period, who is actually paying the price for these strict new rules? In this episode of LikeSweden, we look beyond the surface to examine the structural redesign of how Sweden defines belonging. We break down the real-world consequences for the people who keep the country running, and explore why this reform might create a two-tier society. In this episode, we discuss: The healthcare & cleaning trap: How the new individual income threshold of 20,000 SEK per month targets the lowest segment of the labor market. We explain why essential workers like nurse's aides and cleaners, who are often stuck on part-time contracts, might be permanently excluded from citizenship.The end of the Youth Fast-Track: How abolishing the simplified notification procedure (anmälan) forces 18-21-year-olds into a corner. By demanding financial self-sufficiency, the state is effectively telling young people they cannot study full-time and be citizens at the same time.The motherhood penalty: We explore the "housewife trap" created by the new rules. We discuss how the system will grant citizenship to a high-earning husband while denying it to a caregiving wife with no formal individual income.The brain drain & returning Swedes: Why the massive increase in the waiting period for partners of Swedes—jumping from 3 years to 7 years—is threatening to deter Swedish expats from moving back home with their international families.Retroactivity & the petition: The legal chaos of changing the rules for thousands of people already waiting in the Migration Agency's queue. We also discuss the active movement fighting to demand a "grandfather clause" to protect old applications.Resources & Links: Take action: There is an active movement fighting to stop the government from applying these rules retroactively. You can find the link to the petition on my blog.Read the full article: Visit likesweden.com for the complete breakdown of these changes.Join the conversation: Follow me on social media @likeswedencom.

    31 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

Welcome to LikeSweden! We look beyond the red wooden houses and fika to explore the real Sweden. Join us for deep dives into the country's fascinating history, complex social issues, and the everyday reality of navigating the Swedish system. We explore a wide range of topics—from pop culture to legal changes and society—alongside honest conversations with the people who call Scandinavia home. Whether you’re an expat, planning a move, or simply curious about modern Sweden, tune in to discover the true culture and reality of the North.

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