Sonos announced on Wednesday that Tom Conrad has been appointed as the company's permanent CEO. Conrad had been serving as interim CEO since January following the resignation of Patrick Spence. Spence's departure came after a disastrous app launch in May 2024, which led to widespread customer anger due to bugs and the removal of features. Since then, Sonos has released several updates to address these issues and regain customer trust. Conrad, who joined Sonos' board in 2017 and previously served as chief product officer at Quibi, stated in a letter to employees that the appointment marks a "new chapter" and a return to "customer-first principles."

Under Conrad's interim leadership, Sonos undertook a restructuring, including laying off approximately 200 employees and ending its collaboration with Ikea on Symfonisk speakers. The company also launched an initiative in March to address user app complaints and released major software updates for its Ace wireless headphones and Arc soundbar.

Impact Statement: The appointment aims to stabilize Sonos following a period of significant challenges related to its app and subsequent restructuring.