Sonos’ interim CEO, Tom Conrad, has expressed deep regret over the company’s botched app update in May 2024. The update led to widespread dissatisfaction among users due to disabled features and disrupted functionalities such as sleep timers and volume controls. Long-term customers were particularly upset, as their multiroom systems felt broken after the update.
Since then, Sonos has acknowledged its mistakes, redesigned the app, and released iterative updates. Despite these efforts, the company faced challenges in regaining its footing and justifying new products like over-the-ear headphones that didn’t fully integrate with its home audio speakers. In January 2025, Patrick Spence stepped down as CEO, and Conrad took over, pledging to restore the company’s reputation.
Conrad, who has a long history in tech, including co-founding Pandora, emphasized the importance of understanding real-world user environments. He explained that the company underestimated the complexity of customers’ networking environments and has since made significant changes to its testing processes and internal organization.
The company has also expanded its beta program and restructured its product organization, leading to layoffs in August 2024 and February 2025. Conrad remains optimistic about Sonos’ future, focusing on execution over the next 18 to 24 months while emphasizing the emotional connection Sonos products have with users.
— new from WIRED