Acquired Season 3, Episode 3: The Sonos IPO
Aug 20, 2018
The hosts analyze Sonos' IPO, discussing the company's mission, delayed start in selling speakers, and high speaker longevity rate. They also explore the branding and founding of Sonos, the challenges in the streaming era, the shift in consumer audio preferences, and Sonos' growth story and financials.
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Sonos' Long Product Development
- Sonos did not sell a speaker for seven years, focusing initially on amplifiers and digital music technology.
- Their long-term customer loyalty is remarkable, with 93% of their speakers sold in the last 13 years still active today.
Founders' Dotcom Background
- John McFarland and co-founders had a background in software and mobile before starting Sonos.
- Their prior company, software.com, went public during the dot-com boom before they created Sonos.
Decentralized Mesh Networking Choice
- Sonos chose a decentralized mesh networking system for their speakers, requiring invention in a nascent technology.
- This helped enable seamless multi-room audio without a central control device.