Sonos is undergoing a complete overhaul as it tries to recover from a rough patch, particularly after the disastrous launch of its new app in May 2024. The launch of the app was marred by numerous bugs and glitches, which attracted widespread criticism and dealt a serious blow to the company’s reputation. This mishap not only affected customer satisfaction but also had long-term effects, including the laying off of employees and a decline in revenue.
Former CEO of Sonos, Patrick Spence, retired in January of 2025, a benchmark in Sonos’ efforts to get past its problems. Experienced tech executive and 2017 addition to the board of directors at Sonos, Tom Conrad, took the role of interim CEO. Conrad has emphasized how Sonos needed to become “scrappier and more focused,” a change towards a less bloated, more streamlined operation.
Under Conrad’s leadership, Sonos is also reorganizing its internal affairs. The company has reorganized its product and engineering staff into functional units focused on hardware, software, design, quality, and operations. The reorganization aims to achieve efficiency through cross-functional initiatives that focus on high-priority market opportunities. The previous arrangement, in which teams were dedicated to one product category, was considered inefficient and contributed to the app debacle.
Sonos has also had significant announcements of layoffs, having laid off about 200 workers in a restructuring effort. This is in addition to past layoffs and shows the company’s efforts to reduce spending and adapt in the face of challenging market trends. In spite of challenges, Conrad believes that Sonos will bounce back, citing the intellectual property of the company as a valuable asset.
As a gesture to regain customer trust, Sonos has outlined the following sweeping plan. This includes thoroughly understanding the root causes of the app’s failure and undertaking a huge effort to restore customer confidence. The company has also introduced a public Trello board to establish openness regarding the fixes being implemented for the app. Recent updates have addressed some of the most significant complaints, such as restoring music queue management to the Android app and adding a Night Mode feature for soundbars.
Furthermore, Sonos has put on hold ambitions to enter the streaming video device space, at least for the time being. This move demonstrates the company prioritizing its immediate problems over expansion into new space. The move also indicates Sonos’ challenges in getting back to its feet in the marketplace.
To accompany these steps, Sonos has introduced seven new customer experience and quality commitments. These consist of enhanced pre-launch testing, the recruitment of a quality ombudsman, and establishing a customer advisory board. The company has expanded the size of its beta testing group and will employ tech alphas to identify issues early. These steps are supposed to prevent app disasters like this from occurring in the future and improve the overall Sonos experience.
While Sonos weather this tough period, it is clear that regaining its customers’ trust is at the top of its agenda. Its efforts at fixing past blunders and streamlining its operations are central to its turnaround. But the road ahead remains bumpy, with ongoing market volatility and the need for ongoing customer satisfaction enhancement.
