Sonos Announces Layoffs, Focus on Paid Streaming Services and Voice Control

Sonos has announced that it's making some difficult layoffs as part of its new plan to focus on paid streaming services and voice control.

The company says now that shift to paid streaming services is 'irreversibly started', "we’re going to focus on building incredibly rich experiences that were all but unimaginable when we started the company, and will be at the vanguard of what it means to listen to music at home. This is a significant long-term development effort against which we’re committing significant resources."

More notably, the CEO John Macfarlane praises the Amazon Echo. "Voice recognition isn’t new; today it’s nearly ubiquitous with Siri, OK Google, and Cortana. But the Echo found a sweet spot in the home and will impact how we navigate music, weather, and many, many other things as developers bring new ideas and more content to the Alexa platform."


Sonos continues to say that Alexa/Echo is the first product to showcase the power of voice control in the home and believes that its popularity will accelerate innovation across the industry.

The company says that it's taking the long view to determine how to best bring voice-enabled experiences into the home. With all its talk about Amazon, it's possible that Sonos has plans to integrate the Alexa Voice Service into its products.

"We know the future is one where paid streaming and voice control play significant roles, and we’re committed to running a sustainable, profitable business so that we can fund innovation in these and other areas for decades to come."

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