Sonos Execs Launched Ill-Received App Despite Employee Protests

Back in May, Sonos launched a new version of its mobile app, and it's been wildly unpopular with Sonos customers because of ongoing bugs and the removal of several features. Today, Bloomberg delved into what went wrong at Sonos ahead of when the app launched, and why it came out anyway.

sonos redesigned app
Sonos had to come out with a new app when it launched the Sonos Ace headphones because of "technical debt." The company basically spent time working on new features instead of updating outdated code written in obsolete languages, leading to infrastructure issues. Sonos put off addressing the underlying technical debt, but introducing the headphones required the Sonos app and the cloud setup behind it to be overhauled.

At the time the app was in development, Sonos laid off some of its employees to cut costs and also did some internal restructuring that was "causing chaos" by separating people who had worked together for years. As the app's launch approached, employees protested "forcefully," even resorting to yelling and screaming, because it was clear the app wasn't ready to launch.

Former Sonos employees told Bloomberg that Sonos was prioritizing promises to investors and attracting new customers rather than ensuring equipment owned by longtime Sonos customers continued to work. One employee said they were afraid to push back further on the app's launch because it could lead to them losing their job.

Sonos' lead counsel Eddie Lazarus did an internal investigation into the app's development and told Bloomberg that the app was delayed, from early 2024 to May 2024, and that there had been no "yelling" or "screaming" in meetings. Sonos apparently had a list of what it considered "essential" bugs that needed to be fixed pre-launch, but it decided that less critical bugs could wait until the app was released. "Our list of essential bugs, obviously, was not comprehensive enough," Lazarus told Bloomberg.

Sonos expects to miss its annual revenue target by $200 million after the app debacle. In August, it laid off some employees, and it told others that yearly bonuses and merit-based pay raises have been canceled.

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence apologized to Sonos customers in July and committed to regular updates to address bugs and add missing features. The company considered bringing back the old app as it worked on the new version, but it turned out that wasn't possible because of the updates made to the cloud servers.

Sonos also decided to delay two upcoming product launches in 2024 to instead focus on improving the Sonos app, and the company has "pulled together the very best and most experienced engineers" that it has to work on the app until it is fixed.

Tag: Sonos

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Top Rated Comments

matthewcc Avatar
8 months ago
I see the Sonos leadership went to the Boeing School of Ignoring Engineers to Please Short Term Stock Gamblers.
Score: 92 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SierraVista Avatar
8 months ago

At the time the app was in development, Sonos laid off some of its employees to cut costs and also did some internal restructuring that was "causing chaos" by separating people who had worked together for years. As the app's launch approached, employees protested "forcefully," even resorting to yelling and screaming, because it was clear the app wasn't ready to launch.
The PHB ('https://dilbert.fandom.com/wiki/Pointy-Haired_Boss')s who orchestrated these “organizational synergies” should be made to walk the plank yet somehow I feel like those protesting engineers are the ones who took the blame for this clown show.
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8707908 Avatar
8 months ago
Because at Sonos, our most important asset is our stock pri…i mean our employees.

we care deeply about our sharehol…I mean customers.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carniesandrubes Avatar
8 months ago
I was a beta tester. We had dozens of major issues that were still outstanding and one day they just said "thanks, we're done here". Embarrassing.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toobravetosave Avatar
8 months ago
i hope society learns from the past several decades and stuffs every last MBA into the trash
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phenste Avatar
8 months ago
legit do not think a headline has ever made me jump the way this one did, lmfao…how is it that I have zero Sonos devices in my home and even I know what a trainwreck this situation has been? such a shame, genuinely hope this app gets un-f**ked for all Sonos customers ASAP
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)