After former Sonos CEO Patrick Spence left the company over the disastrous launch of a new app, Tom Conrad was appointed as an interim replacement. Update: Sonos has now confirmed Conrad as permanent CEO – see the end of the piece.
The new app left many long-term customers struggling with connectivity problems and broken features, with Conrad saying this was because the company failed to understand how its products were used in the real world …
The Sonos mess at-a-glance
In May of last year, Sonos launched the company’s first headphones, the Ace, intended to compete with AirPods Max. The app needed to be updated to support these, and the company decided to use it as an opportunity for a ground-up rebuild, launching a completely new app just ahead of the launch.
That did not go well. Customers were upset at the company removing much-loved features, and many owners of older Sonos speakers experienced connection problems and lag. Given that the whole idea of Sonos is an Apple-esque It Just Works, customers were understandably angry at the company – even more so when it turned out to break accessibility too.
Sonos initially downplayed the complaints, but CEO Patrick Spence subsequently emailed customers to apologize, and provide a timeline for fixes, subsequently making seven promises.
However, customers weren’t impressed, and called for Spence to be fired.
Former Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is out
Bloomberg reports that customers have now gotten their wish.
Sonos Chief Executive Officer Patrick Spence is leaving after eight years in the job, a move that follows a botched app revamp that upset customers and stymied growth. The audio technology company named Tom Conrad, a board member and former executive at Snap Inc. and the Pandora music streaming service, as interim CEO.
... continue reading