Audio equipment maker Sonos has laid off 6 percent of its workforce. Around 100 employees are affected by Sonos’ downsizing plans while the company is busy repairing some of the damage the new app has done to the company. Sonos’ problems began to multiply when they released a new app in May of this year that, instead of improving the user experience, generated an overwhelming number of complaints from customers about the upgrade.
With numerous bugs, missing features, and accessibility issues, the app has caused significant disruption to the company’s work. Both the layoffs at Sonos and the 100 employees affected are stuck in positions that no one would have volunteered for.
Image: Sonos Ace headphones
Sonos: Layoffs continue after problems with the company app
Sonos’ plans to reduce its workforce reportedly affected several departments of the company, from marketing to engineering. The 100 employees affected by the Sonos layoffs abruptly lost access to their jobs, suggesting they were unaware of the decision and were fired immediately. The company reportedly employed over 1,800 people in 2022. CNBCmaking it a smaller company compared to some others known in the audio equipment manufacturing industry. Despite this, its customer base is considerably larger than the company size would suggest.
In conversation with The edge Commenting on the layoffs, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence said: “This action was difficult but necessary to ensure continued, meaningful investment in Sonos’ product roadmap while positioning Sonos for long-term success.”
Sonos’ layoffs this time around could be related to app issues, but it’s not the first time the company has faced job cuts. The company had to lay off 12 percent of employees in 2020 and later plans to lay off another 7 percent of employees in 2023. For a while, it seemed like the company wouldn’t need to resort to extreme measures this year due to a string of successful product launches, but the app has put that future in jeopardy. Many have called for the CEO to step down, but Patrick Spence seems confident he can still help the company turn things around.
What’s next for Sonos after the layoffs?
Sonos has not elaborated on how its workforce reduction plans will help the company get the app back on track, a goal the company has promised will be its primary focus for now. The employees who were asked to leave could have been somehow connected to the app’s failure, but given the layoffs across all departments, that seems unlikely. Whether it’s a cost-cutting measure or has more pressing implications for the company, Sonos has put the layoffs behind it and is setting its sights on the next step.
Two product launches were reportedly halted to fix the underperforming app that allows users to use the audio devices to their full potential. Many were surprised when the company released the Sonos Ace headphones in June when the app issues were already cropping up in large numbers, but it seems the company has no plans to repeat this mistake.
Rumors have it that the company may also scrap the botched app altogether and bring back its predecessor for now. Shelving the current app and removing it from the market would be the best thing to do, but if they remove the software entirely, their devices could become inoperable, so bringing back the older app is a good idea. Sonos’ layoff of 100 employees is not expected to disrupt plans to resolve the issue. CEO Spence reiterated, “Our priority remains our commitment to restoring the app and keeping our customers happy, and we are confident that today’s actions will not impact our ability to deliver on that promise.”
