The Vergecast

Sonos CEO discusses the Arc and customer backlash over leaving old products behind

May 6, 2020

Patrick Spence, the CEO of Sonos, shares insights on the launch of their game-changing Arc soundbar, which supports Dolby Atmos. He delves into the customer backlash over the 'Recycle Mode' and the sentiment around leaving older Sonos products behind. The conversation also covers the competitive landscape against giants like Amazon and Google, touching on the challenges smaller firms face in innovation. With an emphasis on sustainability and evolving consumer expectations, Spence highlights the balance between advanced technology and maintaining product durability.

56:03

Episode guests

Patrick Spence

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

Unveiling the Sonos ARC

18min

Navigating Streaming Hardware Business Models

7min

Navigating Consumer Expectations in Audio Technology

11min

Navigating Tech Giants: Competition Challenges

13min

Navigating Remote Work Challenges

5min

Wrapping Up Conversations and Emphasizing Data Privacy

2min

This week we saw Sonos announce several new products, most significantly the Arc, which is the company’s first soundbar to support Dolby Atmos. Other new devices include the Sonos Five speaker and a refreshed Sub, and all three will only work with Sonos’ new S2 app that launches next month.

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence sat down virtually with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel for The Vergecast to discuss the new products, the S2 update, the backlash that Sonos took from customers over its “Recycle Mode”, and the perception that the company is leaving customers with older Sonos hardware behind.

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