Sonos CEO Finally Steps Down After App Debacle. Is That Such a Good Thing?

Patrick Spence, the man at the helm for Sonos’s most exciting product releases, has reportedly stepped down as CEO.

Published January 13, 2025

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For Sonos, a new year means a new CEO. That’s right. Patrick Spence’s eight-year tenure as CEO of the multi-room speaker giant is over. As of today, Tom Conrad, a Sonos board member since 2017 and founding member of Pandora, will take over as interim CEO, according to the company.

The news comes after a tumultuous year for Sonos, despite the fact it released its first-ever headphones, the Ace, and a new flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Arc Ultra — both of which have been positively received. That’s because 2024 was largely overshadowed by a disastrous app redesign that left many of its Sonos’s ardent fans deeply frustrated.

Sonos-Ace-Review — The Sonos Ace is the company’s first-ever wireless headphones and, reportedly, the main reason for the app redesign.

In hiring a new CEO, Sonos aims for a fresh start to win back the loyalty of its consumers. But will it?

End of an era

Online, many Sonos fans have celebrated Spence’s departure, even if some have rightly questioned the timing of it. However, I have mixed feelings about Spence leaving at all.

When the former CEO took over from John MacFarlane, Sonos’s founder, his primary mission, he said, was to greatly expand and diversify the company’s offerings. And that he did.

Sonos Arc Ultra comparison — Along with the Ace headphones, the Arc Ultra soundbar was Sonos’s standout release of 2024.

Today, Sonos makes several smart speakers, multiple soundbars and subwoofers. It has also entered new markets, like portable speakers and wireless headphones.

Before Spence took over, Sonos’s offerings were largely limited to a few non-smart speakers, such as the Play:1 and Play:5.

Sonos Roam and Roam 2 speakers — Earlier in 2024, Sonos released the Roam 2, a new-and-improved portable speaker at the same price of the original Roam.

Moving forward, it’s unclear exactly what Sonos customers have to look forward to.

The company clearly needs to improve its app, which it’s still actively working on. But what about the hardware, the stuff Spence spent the majority his tenure focused on expanding?

sonos era 300 speaker — 2023 was also a big year for Sonos hardware releases, including the launch of the Era 300 (*above*) and Era 100 speakers.

Off the top of my head, the only existing products that could be ready for a next-gen upgrade are the Port and Amp, both of which came out in 2019. It’s been rumored that Sonos is developing a set-top streaming box to rival Apple TV but details remain scarce.

None of the above seem even close to rivaling the excitement of the Ace and Arc Ultra, two products that came out during the company’s supposed worst year on record.