The Journal. The Botched Software Update That Cost $600 Million
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Oct 13, 2025 Ben Cohen, a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, dives into Sonos's disastrous app update that cost the company around $600 million. He reveals how the flawed rollout led to severe functionality issues, public backlash, and massive layoffs. Cohen discusses the internal lessons learned, including the dangers of rushing updates and the importance of gradual rollouts. He also highlights the efforts of the new CEO, Tom Conrad, in rebuilding trust and restoring the brand's reputation in the high-end audio market.
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Legacy Code Undermined A Big Redesign
- Sonos released a major app redesign on May 7, 2024 that immediately caused widespread failures for users.
- The company had relied on obsolete code and misjudged complexity when modernizing its software.
Users Said Speakers Turned Into Bricks
- Users reported that Sonos speakers became unusable overnight, with devices disappearing and features missing.
- Community posts showed anger and comparisons to ‘very expensive bricks.’
Software Failures Had Major Financial Costs
- The botched update cost Sonos at least $100 million in revenue and about $600 million in market value.
- The failures delayed product launches and damaged the company’s financial standing.