Is Sonos out of the mess its app update left it in a year ago? "We've turned a corner," assures Tom Conrad, the interim CEO who replaced Patrick Spence. The latter resigned from his post last January, following the audio manufacturer's missteps that provoked the fury of many customers.
Confidence still needs to be rebuilt
"We've made real progress in the last 90 days on some deeply esoteric technical issues," Tom Conrad told Bloomberg. The app's latest patch, available this week, has fixed its functionality with older speakers, the Play:1 and Play:3, which were launched more than ten years ago. Sonos isn't done with updates—there will be more throughout the rest of the year—but the CEO believes they will help make the software "better than it's been in five years."
"Objectively, the app works better today than the one it replaces," he says today. Longtime users will find their bearings in the versions coming this summer and early fall. They'll also see improved usability. "I really feel like we're on the right track," adds Conrad, who canceled the streaming box and ended the partnership with Ikea for the Symfonisk speakers.
So, there's optimism after months of dark clouds on Sonos' horizon. The company had to restructure, resulting in layoffs, but the new way of operating (by functionality rather than by product line) provides new flexibility and efficiency.
Sonos isn't out of the woods yet. It must continue to regain the trust of disoriented customers, convince them of the app's improvements... and avoid the pitfall of Trump tariffs as much as possible. A "multi-dimensional problem," says Tom Conrad, who nevertheless points out that products intended for the American market are manufactured not in China, but in Vietnam and Malaysia.
Tom Conrad now hopes to become full-time CEO of Sonos. He has, a priori, a good chance of getting the job.
Source: Bloomberg
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