Sonos CEO John MacFarlane announced in a blog post on the company website that changes will be occurring at the home audio manufacturer. The main highlight of said changes involves the layoff of some Sonos employees as the company better positions itself for the future of music.
MacFarlane mentions both music streaming and voice-connected speakers available from both Amazon and Google, noting that the company will invest in these areas to ensure Sonos remains competitive in the long term. It's no longer deemed feasible for Sonos to focus so heavily on media fans who have massive offline libraries.
"Sonos is taking the long view in how best to bring voice-enabled music experiences into the home. Voice is a big change for us, so we'll invest what's required to bring it to market in a wonderful way. Our mission is to fill every home with music. I start every day by asking myself how we can do that better, and how we can serve our music lovers better now and over the long haul. We know the future is one where paid streaming and voice control play significant roles, and we're committed to running a sustainable, profitable business so that we can fund innovation in these and other areas for decades to come."
It's always uneasy to read about anyone losing their job and we wish the Sonos employees who will be migrating elsewhere all the best in the future. That said, we're also fairly stoked to see what the company has planned for future hardware releases, with regards to tighter integration with streaming services and voice commands.
