Sonos lays off 200 ahead of rumored set-top box release

Sonos announced that it has laid off 200 people in a letter posted to its site Wednesday. The news follows a 100-person layoff in August. Both rounds arrive in the wake of a disastrously botched update to the Sonos app that alienated broad swaths of the premium audio hardware firm’s extremely loyal fanbase.

The new letter is penned by Tom Conrad, who was the first CTO of Pandora and was named interim CEO after Patrick Spence stepped down from the chief executive role in January. Conrad states that the company’s size has led to a breakdown in communication, writing, “One thing I’ve observed first hand is that we’ve become mired in too many layers that have made collaboration and decision-making harder than it needs to be.”

After delays, reports surfaced Tuesday that Sonos is readying the release of a set-top box/home hub, codenamed “Pinewood.” Currently in beta testing, the system is reportedly set for a 2025 release, priced at between $200 and $400.