Sonos’ Interim Ceo Hits All The Right Notes In First Letter To Employees

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Tom Conrad, a longtime seasoned of nan tech manufacture who joined Sonos’ committee of committee successful 2017, has been appointed interim CEO pursuing today’s ouster of Patrick Spence. And successful his first missive arsenic nan (temporary) caller boss, Conrad hits connected a number of things that will apt beryllium euphony to nan ears of rank-and-file Sonos employees.

“I’ve heard from galore of you astir your ain frustrations astir really acold we’ve drifted from our shared ideals,” he says successful nan letter. “There’s a tremendous magnitude of activity successful beforehand of us, including what I’m judge will beryllium immoderate very challenging moments, decisions, and trade-offs, but I’m energized by nan passion I spot each astir maine for doing correct by our customers and getting backmost to nan invention that is astatine nan bosom of Sonos’ unthinkable history.”

Conrad says he has already relocated to Santa Barbara — wherever Sonos is headquartered — and will beryllium successful nan agency regular arsenic he useful to reenergize labour aft an ordeal that has cratered morale. “I deliberation we’ll each activity together that this twelvemonth we’ve fto acold excessively galore group down. As we’ve seen, getting immoderate important things correct (Arc Ultra and Ace are singular products!) is conscionable not tin erstwhile our customers’ alarms don’t spell off, their kids can’t comprehend their playlist during breakfast, their surrounds don’t fire, aliases they can’t region nan euphony successful clip to reply nan buzzing doorbell.”

Do you cognize overmuch astir what went incorrect astatine Sonos nether Patrick Spence?

In my clip astatine The Verge, I’ve covered Sonos overmuch comprehensively (and I’d for illustration to deliberation fairly) than immoderate different company. Yes, that includes a agelong database of merchandise leaks, but I’m acold overmuch consenting successful sparkling a ray connected each nan frustrations caused by nan caller app — immoderate for customers and portion — and nan bad decisions that led Sonos disconnected nan tracks. Those choices personification had repercussions for mean labour who gave their champion to nan brand.

If you personification overmuch to banal astir nan past twelvemonth astatine Sonos, please scope retired to maine confidentially and securely complete Signal astatine (845) 445-8455 aliases chriswelch.01. I tin too beryllium reached via DM connected Bluesky, X, aliases Instagram.

In a abstracted missive to employees, Sonos committee chair Julius Genachowski said, “Tom’s instruction is to amended nan Sonos halfway acquisition for our customers, while optimizing our business to thrust invention and financial performance,” and he noted that Conrad has adjacent his business arsenic CEO of Zero Longevity Science to springiness his afloat attraction to Sonos. Perhaps nan interim premier already has an oculus connected making this duty overmuch permanent.

Team,

Nearly 18 years ago, successful May of 2007, I stepped onto nan style astatine SFMOMA to motorboat Pandora for Sonos to an assemblage of tech journalists. I was 37 years aged and my emotion of Sonos was successful its earliest days. Over nan decade that instantly followed, and done galore ups and downs, we built Pandora into a streaming phenomenon. In those aforesaid years Sonos became nan most beloved measurement to bask euphony passim my location and millions of others.

Eight years ago, I was honored to beryllium asked to subordinate nan Sonos board. Five months ago, arsenic nan squad worked done nan app recovery, I was fortunate tin to get to cognize a wider swath of you personally – and to spot firsthand your dedication to mounting things right.

Last week, I was asked to measurement successful arsenic interim CEO.

Perhaps nan astir important constituent for you to cognize coming is that I’m coming because I emotion this company, this merchandise family and this brand. For astir 2 decades, I’ve listened to euphony passim my location connected Sonos each day. In nan past decade, I’ve binged each streaming arena pinch dazzling business from our Sonos soundbars. In caller years and erstwhile I was traveling, it was a Sonos Roam that made its measurement into my backpack. These days, each nighttime I’m observant not to aftermath my sleeping family by watching audio-swapped tv connected my Sonos Ace.

I cognize arsenic bully arsenic anyone nan unthinkable powerfulness of what we tin do. A Sonos Move was playing successful nan proscription room erstwhile my woman (11 months conscionable past week!) was born. Sonos provides a akin soundtrack for millions of lives passim nan world each azygous day. When it each works, it’s absolute magic.

It’s too existent that erstwhile it doesn’t work, our customers are taken retired of nan infinitesimal and are right to consciousness that we’ve fto them down. I deliberation we’ll each activity together that this twelvemonth we’ve fto acold excessively many people down. As we’ve seen, getting immoderate important things correct (Arc Ultra and Ace are singular products!) is conscionable not tin erstwhile our customers’ alarms don’t spell off, their kids can’t comprehend their playlist during breakfast, their surrounds don’t fire, aliases they can’t region nan euphony successful clip to reply nan buzzing doorbell.

I’m coming to get america backmost connected track. But is getting backmost connected measurement enough?

I deliberation nan reply is intelligibly no. Getting backmost to basics is necessary, but intelligibly not tin to unlock nan early we each envision for Sonos. So arsenic delighted arsenic I’ll beryllium erstwhile each Sonos customer I meet tells maine “You activity astatine Sonos!? I emotion my Sonos!”, what really gets maine up successful nan greeting is nan thought that we tin turn nan Sonos level bully beyond “out ample audio at home.”

I’ve heard from galore of you astir your ain frustrations astir really acold we’ve drifted from our shared ideals. There’s a tremendous magnitude of activity successful beforehand of us, including what I’m judge will beryllium immoderate very challenging moments, decisions, and trade-offs, but I’m energized by nan passion I spot each astir maine for doing correct by our customers and getting backmost to nan invention that is astatine nan bosom of Sonos’ unthinkable history.

While I’m coming coming arsenic “interim” CEO, please make nary mistake: I’m coming to move america forward. This is not a clip for Sonos to beryllium stuck successful limbo. I’ve relocated to Santa Barbara and my family will subordinate maine coming shortly. I’m successful nan agency coming and for arsenic agelong arsenic nan business is mine. I’m counting connected your thief successful making coming nan first clip successful our firm future. I’ll shingle hands you each unrecorded tomorrow (see calendars for nan gathering invite). It will beryllium recorded and shared pinch those who aren’t able to attend. I’ll too beryllium visiting our offices extracurricular of California successful nan coming weeks. I can’t clasp to meet each of you and commencement building towards a caller conception for Sonos.

Onward!

Tom

PS: As you get to cognize maine successful nan coming weeks and months, you’ll find that I personification galore of the clichéd interests of an aging exertion hipster, including an limb afloat of tattoos (see also: “Can I show you astir my liking successful ray roast espresso, vinyl records and Leica photography?”). While each of this rightfully mightiness animate immoderate oculus rolls (including from my wife), I dream it will make astatine slightest immoderate of you grin to cognize that my astir salient tattoo is simply a brace of Sonos Ace connected my left forearm.